Obituaries

Passages: Pat McCormick, Olympic Champion Diver and Hall of Famer, Dies at 92 Pat Keller McCormick, the first diver inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural induction class, died on March 7, 2023 at the age of 92. She was the first diver, male or female, to win ...

Passages: Jamie Cail, Former U.S. National Team Swimmer, 42 Jamie Cail, a former U.S. national teamer and gold medalist at the 1997 Pan Pacific Championships, died in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Feb. 21. Reports from the island indicate that police there are investigating the circumstances of Cail’s ...

Passages: Viktor Ageev, Triple Olympic Medalist in Water Polo, 86 Viktor Ageev, a three-time Olympic water polo medalist for the Soviet Union, died on Jan. 30. He was 86 years old. Born in Moscow in 1936, Viktor Ivanovich Ageev rose through the Soviet sporting ranks. He made his Olympic debut with t...

Passages: Nick Rodionoff, Longtime Pepperdine Coach and Diving Mentor, 87 Nick Rodionoff, the former women’s swimming and diving head coach at Pepperdine who worked at the school for four decades, died on Feb. 17. He was 87 years old. Rodionoff led the swimming and diving program for 18 years from 2...

OBITUARY: Australian Olympian Adam Lucas Pays A Special Tribute To His Celebrated Coach Grant Stoelwinder Australia’s 2004 Athens Olympic medley swimmer Adam Lucas summed up his coach Grant Stoelwinder perfectly when the Western Australian swimming community gave the coach they all called “Stolly” t...

Passages: Ty Wells, University of Arizona Swimmer, 23 Ty Wells, a fifth-year swimmer at the University of Arizona, passed away Friday. The school confirmed his death but did not reveal the cause. He was 23 years old. "On behalf of the entire University of Arizona community, I want to extend our hear...

Passages: Jane Cederqvist, Swedish Olympic Silver Medalist, 77 Jane Cederqvist, the silver medalist in the 400 freestyle at the 1960 Olympics, died on Jan. 15. She was 77 years old. Cederqvist died from complications of ALS. The native of Stockholm had just turned 15 in the summer of 1960 when she h...

Passages: Shintaro Yokochi, Father and Coach of Portuguese Olympic Finalist, 87 Shintaro Yokochi, a Japanese swimmer who became a renowned coach in Portugal, died this week at the age of 87. His death was announced by the Portuguese Swimming Federation on Sunday. Yokochi’s man pupils included his so...

Passages: Don Easterling, Longtime NC State Coach, Age 90 Don Easterling, who led North Carolina State to 17 ACC titles over 24 years at the helm, has died, the school announced on Saturday. Easterling was 90 years old. Easterling led the Wolfpack from 1970-94. He won 15 ACC championships at the hel...

Passages: Carmel Swimmer Michael Jent Dies After Injuries Sustained in Car Accident Michael Jent, a 16-year-old student at Carmel High School and a member of the school's swim team, died Sunday after he was involved in a car accident early Friday morning. Jent's car crashed into an apartment buildin...

In 2022, the swimming community lost several important figures. The sport won't be the same without them, but their legacies live on. Here is a look back and who we have lost. Click the link in each person's name to read the full obituary and legacy of each person. Passages: Sam Kendricks Sam Kend.....

Passages: John Spannuth, Key Figure in Masters Swimming, Age 89 John Spannuth, a long-time swimming administrator and a key figure in the creation of U.S. Masters Swimming, died on Dec. 19. He was 89 years old. Spannuth’s connection to Masters Swimming goes back to the very beginning, hosting the or...

Passages: Per-Ola Lindberg, Two-Time Swedish Olympian, Age 82 Per-Ola Lindberg, a Swedish swimmer who excelled at the University of Southern California, died on Dec. 19. He was 82 years old. Lindberg competed in the 1960 Olympics in Rome and the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He won an NCAA title with USC and...

Passages: Dan Colella, Longtime Coach at Duke, Passes Away at Age 60 Duke head coach Dan Colella passed away Friday after a battle with cancer. Colella, who was the Blue Devils' head coach since the 2005-06 season, was 60 years old. The University announced his death in a press release Saturday afte...

Passages: Harold Cliff, Engine Behind Omaha Olympic Trials Harold Cliff, the Canadian sports administrator who helped turn U.S. Olympic team trials in Omaha into a whirlwind success, has died. Cliff’s passing was first reported by Swimming Canada, for which that native of Victoria, British Columbia ...

Passages: Werner Franke, Doctor who Exposed East German Doping, 82 Werner Franke, a German doctor who helped expose East Germany’s expansive state-sponsored doping program, has died. Franke died of an intracerebral hemorrhage on Nov. 14 in Heidelberg. He was 82 years old. Franke and his wife, Brigit...

Passages: Don Sammons, Long-Time University of Illinois Coach, 90 Don Sammons, the former head coach of the University of Illinois swimming and diving team, died on Nov. 24. He was 90 years of age. Sammons coached the Illinois men’s team from the 1971-72 through 1992-93. He was the head coach of the...

Skip Kenney, Stanford University’s iconic swim coach has died. According to sources, Kenney died on Sunday night at age 79 after a short time in hospice care. Kenney was one of the most successful college coaches of all time. He was also the head Olympic coach in 1996 in Atlanta and was an assistant...

Passages: Nachum Buch, First Israeli Olympic Swimmer, Age 89 Nachum Buch, the first swimmer to represent Israel at the Olympics, died on Nov. 7 in his home in Australia. He was 89 years of age. Buch was a pioneer for Israeli swimming, representing the young nation at its first Olympics in 1952. He w...

Remembering Dr. Bob Treffene – A man At The Heartbeat Of  Swimming  For Five Decades Dr. Bob Treffene, a pioneer in the often complex world of sports science, was “a one of a kind” who helped transform the world of swimming. Swimming in Australia, Great Britain and around the world is saddened this ...