Kokomo’s Colfield Passes Away

KOKOMO, Ind., July 6. MAL Colfield, who started the Kokomo Wildkat swimming program during the 1959-60 season and has helped Kokomo and Haworth reach statewide prominence, passed away at 79 years old on Wednesday at 1 a.m., at his residence.

An inaugural inductee to the Indiana High School Swimming Hall of fame, many former swimmers would joke about Colfield's incredible accuracy with his ability to flip a kickboard from the corner of lane one to the far corner of lane 6. Colfield came to Kokomo in 1951 to run the YMCA swimming program. He remained there through 1959 when the school corporation hired him.

"After Dick Kitchell won the national 200-yard butterfly, they [the school corporation] decided we better have swimming classes," Colfield said at one point. "I started with two classes and when they moved it to four, they gave me a job at the school."

Up until the time Haworth was built, Colfield coached the team in the 20-yard pool at the YMCA and came away with the 1969 state title for Kokomo and second-place finishes in 1965 and 1968.

“The greatest thing to me is to see all the schools around here — Western, Eastern, Northwestern, Cass, Kokomo with its two pools," Colfield once said. "To see all these pools and the successful swimming programs, that's the greatest accomplishment I think."

Gary Kinkead came to Haworth as Colfield's assistant for two years and coached the Haworth Swim Association. After Colfield retired in 1981 following a state runner-up finish, Kinkead led the Huskies to the 1982 state championship.

"Mal left a great program to me and HSA was very strong,” Kinkead said. “It was a great feeder program for the high school."

Kinkead coached the Lady Katfish from 1985 to 1988 before taking over at Ben Davis and then on to the University of Indianapolis.

"His legacy says it all,” Kinkead said. “What an outstanding human being who cared for everyone he touched."

"I've been lucky to have known all the previous head coaches of Kokomo High School back to Mal Colfield,” current Kokomo High School head coach Brian Hindson said. “Mal was the last one for me to meet, and what an awesome guy. As a coach, I hope I leave the same legacy."

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