Bill Bachrach
Encyclopedia
William Bachrach (May 15, 1879, in Chicago, Illinois – July 1959) was an American swimming and water polo
coach.
. He coached his swimmers to pull and to push through to their hip at a time that other swimmers were using a half stroke.
He later moved to the Illinois Athletic Club (IAC). There, Bachrach coached swimming and water polo from 1912–54. His 1914–17 IAC water polo teams won the U.S. national championship for four straight years. At the IAC, he coached Jam Handy, Harry Hebner
, Turk McDermott, Perry McGillivray
, Norman Ross
, Bob Skelton
, Johnny Weissmuller
(later famous in Hollywood as "Tarzan"), Arne Borg
, Sybil Bauer
, Ethel Lackie
, and others. His swimmers won 120 National AAU
Championships. He is the only coach whose swimmers and divers won every Men's National AAU championship event in one year (1914).
Bachrach was also head coach of the 1924 Olympics
and 1928 Olympics
U.S. men's and women's swim teams. His swimmers won 13 gold medal
s in Paris in 1924, and 10 gold medals in Amsterdam in 1928. He developed four swimmers who won gold medals at the 1924 Olympics: Weissmuller (100m and 200m freestyles
, and 800m relay), Skelton (200m breaststroke
), Lackie (100m freestyle and 400m relay), and Sybil Bauer
(100m backstroke
). Weissmuller also won two gold medals at the 1928 Olympics (100m freestyle and 800m relay. He also developed Norman Ross
, who won gold medals in the 400m and 1,500m freestyles and 800m relay at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp.
Weismuller, after setting a number of early records early in his career, said that before one race he walked past each opponent as they lined up for the race and whispered to them: "Where you going to finish? Second, third, fourth?" Bachrach asked Weismuller what he had said, and instructed him to go back to each of the swimmers, and apologize, which he did reluctantly.
. He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame
in 1996.
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
coach.
Early life
Bachrach was Jewish, and one of 16 children. In the 1890s, he was a competitive swimmer. He served in the Spanish American War. Later in life, the 6 foot tall Bachrach weighed 300 pounds.Coaching career
As a coach, Bachrach was called “the beloved tyrant.” He began as a swimming instructor at the Chicago Central YMCAYMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
. He coached his swimmers to pull and to push through to their hip at a time that other swimmers were using a half stroke.
He later moved to the Illinois Athletic Club (IAC). There, Bachrach coached swimming and water polo from 1912–54. His 1914–17 IAC water polo teams won the U.S. national championship for four straight years. At the IAC, he coached Jam Handy, Harry Hebner
Harry Hebner
Harry Joseph Hebner was an American backstroke and freestyle swimmer as well as a water polo player, who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics, in the 1912 Summer Olympics and in the 1920 Summer Olympics....
, Turk McDermott, Perry McGillivray
Perry McGillivray
Perry McGillivray was an American swimmer and water polo player who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics and 1920 Summer Olympics....
, Norman Ross
Norman Ross
Norman Ross was a swimmer from the United States notable for winning five events at the Inter-Allied Games in June, 1919, held at Joinville-Le-Pont near Paris and three gold medals at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp. He set thirteen world records and held eighteen U.S...
, Bob Skelton
Bob Skelton
Robert J. "Bob" Skelton was a top jockey in New Zealand and Australian Thoroughbred horse racing who competed from the 1950s through the 1980s. Among his many major race wins, Skelton rode Great Sensation to three victories in the Wellington Cup and won the Auckland Cup on Rose Mellay in 1974 and...
, Johnny Weissmuller
Johnny Weissmuller
Johnny Weissmuller was an Austro-Hungarian-born American swimmer and actor best known for playing Tarzan in movies. Weissmuller was one of the world's best swimmers in the 1920s, winning five Olympic gold medals and one bronze medal. He won fifty-two US National Championships and set sixty-seven...
(later famous in Hollywood as "Tarzan"), Arne Borg
Arne Borg
Claes Arne Borg was a Swedish swimmer. He is best known for breaking 32 world records during the 1920s.He won the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal in 1926...
, Sybil Bauer
Sybil Bauer
Sybil Bauer was an American swimmer.Bauer attended Schurz High School in Chicago, Illinois and Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. From 1921 to 1926, she set twenty-three world records in women's swimming, mostly in the backstroke...
, Ethel Lackie
Ethel Lackie
Ethel Minnie Lackie was an American swimmer who competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics....
, and others. His swimmers won 120 National AAU
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
Championships. He is the only coach whose swimmers and divers won every Men's National AAU championship event in one year (1914).
Bachrach was also head coach of the 1924 Olympics
Swimming at the 1924 Summer Olympics
At the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, eleven swimming events were contested, six for men and five for women. The competitions were held from Sunday July 13, 1924 to Sunday July 20, 1924.There were 169 participants from 23 countries competing...
and 1928 Olympics
Swimming at the 1928 Summer Olympics
At the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, eleven swimming events were contested, six for men and five for women. The competitions were held from Saturday August 4, 1928 to Saturday August 11, 1928.There were 182 participants from 28 countries competing...
U.S. men's and women's swim teams. His swimmers won 13 gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
s in Paris in 1924, and 10 gold medals in Amsterdam in 1928. He developed four swimmers who won gold medals at the 1924 Olympics: Weissmuller (100m and 200m freestyles
Freestyle swimming
Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...
, and 800m relay), Skelton (200m breaststroke
Breaststroke
The breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on his or her chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to its stability and the ability to keep the head out of the water a large portion of the time. In most swimming classes, beginners learn...
), Lackie (100m freestyle and 400m relay), and Sybil Bauer
Sybil Bauer
Sybil Bauer was an American swimmer.Bauer attended Schurz High School in Chicago, Illinois and Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. From 1921 to 1926, she set twenty-three world records in women's swimming, mostly in the backstroke...
(100m backstroke
Backstroke
The backstroke, also sometimes called the back crawl, is one of the four swimming styles regulated by FINA, and the only regulated style swum on the back. This has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disadvantage of swimmers not being able to see where they are going. It is also the only...
). Weissmuller also won two gold medals at the 1928 Olympics (100m freestyle and 800m relay. He also developed Norman Ross
Norman Ross
Norman Ross was a swimmer from the United States notable for winning five events at the Inter-Allied Games in June, 1919, held at Joinville-Le-Pont near Paris and three gold medals at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp. He set thirteen world records and held eighteen U.S...
, who won gold medals in the 400m and 1,500m freestyles and 800m relay at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp.
Weismuller, after setting a number of early records early in his career, said that before one race he walked past each opponent as they lined up for the race and whispered to them: "Where you going to finish? Second, third, fourth?" Bachrach asked Weismuller what he had said, and instructed him to go back to each of the swimmers, and apologize, which he did reluctantly.
Halls of Fame
In 1994, Bachrach was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of FameInternational Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame was opened July 7, 1981, in Netanya, Israel. It honors Jewish athletes and their accomplishments from anywhere around the world....
. He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame
International Swimming Hall of Fame
The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of swimming in the United States and around...
in 1996.