Ron O'Brien is an American diving coach and author. He was the head Ohio State University coach from 1963-78. He coached Greg Louganis.
O’Brien began his athletic career as a diver at the YMCA of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Once in college at Ohio State University, he earned six varsity letters in gymnastics and diving. In diving he went on to become NCAA national champion on 1 meter springboard (1959) and AAU national champion on 3 meter springboard (1961). [1] After his college career, he worked as a performer in a professional water stunt show alongside fellow dive coach Dick Kimball. [2] In 1960, O'Brien placed third in the US diving Olympic trials, missing the top two qualification slots. [2]
After his time as an athlete ended, O'Brien began coaching. Over the years, he has coached divers of all skill levels resulting in over 350 medals in elite dive meets all over the world. [2] He also has been a USA Olympic coach at 8 Olympic Games from 1968 to 1996. In total, the Olympians coached by O’Brien have won five gold, three silver, and four bronze medals. [3] O'Brien holds the record for producing at least one national champion in the most consecutive years, with a 23-year streak from 1973 to 1995. [3] In 1982, O'Brien's California divers took all four of the available gold medals at the world championships. [2]
O'Brien has been the recipient of the "Outstanding Senior US Diving Coach Award" 14 times. [4]
He is the only aquatic coach in the US Olympic Hall of Fame. He has also entered the Halls of Fame for the Ohio State Athletics and The International Swimming and Pennsylvania Sports Halls of Fame. Because of his history as both an athlete and coach at Ohio State, the school’s diving well was named in his honor. [5]
O'Brien has produced a video, Diving My Way. The video teaches techniques and body alignment using slow motion and other effects. [6]
O'Brien has also written a book, Diving for Gold. The book discussions mechanics for dives on the one-meter board, three-meter board, and platform, and it also gives O'Brien's philosophy for how a diver should mentally approach diving. [1]
After retiring from coaching in 1996, O'Brien became the national technical director for USA Diving. He currently lives in Islamorada, Florida, with his wife. [1]
Gao Min is a female Chinese diver who won gold medals in the springboard event of the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games.
Victoria Manalo Draves was a Filipino American competitive diver who won gold medals in both platform and springboard diving at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. Draves became the first woman to be awarded gold medals for both the ten-meter platform and the three-meter springboard. Additionally, Draves became the first American woman to win two gold medals in diving, and the first Asian American to win Olympic gold medals. She was born in San Francisco.
Clarence Elmer "Bud" Pinkston was an American diver. Born in Wichita, Kansas, he attended San Diego High where he won a Gymnastics title at age 15. He is the first San Diegan to win an Olympic Gold Medal. Pinkston attended college at Oregon State University and Stanford University. Pinkston won a gold medal in 10 metre platform diving and a silver medal in 3 metre springboard diving at the 1920 Summer Olympics; he won two bronze medals in the same two events at the 1924 Summer Olympics. Pinkston met Elizabeth "Betty" Becker at the 1924 Games; they later married and Pink became Betty's coach.
Marjorie Gestring was a competitive springboard diver from the United States. At the age of 13 years and 268 days, she won the gold medal in 3-meter springboard diving at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, making her at the time the youngest person ever to win an Olympic gold medal. She remains the second-youngest Olympic gold medalist, as of 2023. A multi-time national diving champion in the United States, she was given a second Olympic gold medal by the United States Olympic Committee after the 1940 Summer Olympics were called off due to the advent of World War II. Gestring attempted to return to the Olympics at the 1948 Games, but failed to qualify for the US team. She has been inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame.
Robert Lynn Clotworthy was an American diver. He competed in the 3 m springboard at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics and won a bronze and a gold medal, respectively. He also won two medals at the 1955 Pan American Games. In 1980 he was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Miller Altman Anderson was an American diver, who won his first national diving championship in 1942, in the 3-meter springboard. A flyer during World War II, he was forced to parachute from his plane on his 112th mission, and his left leg was severely injured. A silver plate was inserted into his knee, and he had to learn to dive all over again after the war.
Jane Fauntz, also known by her married name Jane Manske, was a national champion swimmer and diver, and a member of the United States Olympic teams in 1928 (swimming) and 1932. She was the bronze medalist for springboard diving at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Ernst Magnus Brandsten was a Swedish diver. He competed in 3 m springboard, 10 m platform and plain high diving at the 1912 Summer Olympics and finished seventh in the last event.
Cynthia "Cindy" Ann Potter is an American former Olympic diver and diving color commentator. She was a member of three Olympic diving teams, winning a bronze medal in the 3 m springboard in 1976.
Helen E. Wainwright, also known by her married name Helen Stelling, was a competition diver and swimmer who represented the United States at the 1920 Summer Olympics and 1924 Summer Olympics. She remains the only woman to ever win Olympic silver medals in both swimming and diving.
Edwin Harold Smith was an American diver who competed at the 1928 and 1932 Summer Olympics.
Richard Kempster Degener was an American diver. He won a bronze and a gold medal in the 3 m springboard at the 1932 and 1936 Olympics, respectively.
Maxine Joyce "Micki" King is an American former competitive diver and diving coach. She was a gold medal winner at the 1972 Summer Olympics in the three meter springboard event.
Dick Kimball is an American former diving champion and diving coach at the University of Michigan. He was the NCAA springboard champion in 1957 and the Professional World Diving champion in 1963. He coached the University of Michigan diving team from 1958 to 2002 and also coached the U.S. Olympic diving teams in 1964, 1980, 1984, 1988 and 1992. He has been inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor.
Robert David "Bob" Webster is a retired American diver who won the 10 m platform event at every competition he entered between 1960 and 1964, including the 1960 and 1964 Olympics and 1963 Pan American Games. He later became a diving coach at the University of Minnesota, Princeton University, and the University of Alabama. He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1970 and the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor in 1989.
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Sitzberger was an American diver. After 4 years of Chicago Catholic League Champion at Fenwick High School, competing in the 3 m springboard he won a bronze medal at the 1963 Pan American Games and a gold at the 1964 Olympics. In 1964, Sitzberger was trailing the teammate Frank Gorman after nine of the ten dives, but Gorman performed poorly on his last dive, while Sitzberger was nearly flawless.
Bernard Charles Wrightson is a former Olympic and Pan American Games gold medalist for the United States. The Denver, Colorado, native was primarily a three-meter springboard diver, but he also won a national AAU championship on the ten-meter platform. Between 1964 and 1968, Bernie Wrightson captured a total of eight USA Open titles in the sport of diving. He represented US at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, where he received a gold medal in Springboard Diving.
David Greig "Skippy" Browning Jr. was a diver from the United States and Olympic champion. He represented the US at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, where he received a gold medal in springboard diving. After his Olympic victory in Helsinki, Browning shinnied up a flag pole to steal an Olympic flag and was arrested.
Megan Neyer is an American former competition springboard and platform diver. Neyer was a member of the ill-fated 1980 U.S. Olympic team, the 1982 world champion springboard diver, a fifteen-time U.S. national diving champion, and an eight-time NCAA champion.
Paula Jean Myers-Pope was an American diver and Olympic medallist.