http://www.swiminfo.com/lane9/news/6469.asp
He was best known as the coach of Mark Spitz. Which really sells short the man who changed American swimming more than anyone else in history. He invented the pace clock, pioneered the idea of interval swim sets, pioneered the filming/videotaping of the stroke and was the first seroius scientist of swimming. At one time, he was also the oldest swimmer to successfully cross the English Channel.
He will be missed.
I am glad some remembers who the Doc was and what he did. I just about wore out his book trying to steal a bit more speed when I was a kid. I did chance to shake his hand once, he was one of the great ones. But that puts you pretty old for caring. Aloha G
What a pioneer! Modern competitive swimming would not be where it is today if it was’nt for “Doc”. His mind was always about how to find a better way. And a better way was found on many occasion.
My hats off to ya’ Doc!
Doc was the Holy Grail of swimming when I was young, and Mark Spitz was my idol/hero. Mark was by no means though, the only world champion Doc coached, just the best known outside of swimming circles. RIP, Doc.
Hey, I’m not that old. (31) But I went to his IU swim camp back in the mid 80s when I was junior high age, and you just couldn’t not come away from that without a strong favorable impression of the man.
Mark Spitz did most of his "matriculatin’ " under George Haynes at Santa Clara. I swam against Mark on several occasions, so I’m not guessing on this one. I don’t recall him swimming for Councilman until AFTER he was great.
Takes nothing away, because Doc was a great coach.