Don Schollander
Encyclopedia
Donald Arthur Schollander (born April 30, 1946) is a former Olympic swimmer for the United States
. He won total of five gold medals and one silver medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics
. With four gold medals, he was the most successful athlete at that Summer Olympics.
, and learned competitive swimming from his uncle, Newt Perry, who ran a swim school in Florida. As a boy, Schollander moved with his family to Lake Oswego, Oregon
. Though his first sporting passion was football
, he was too small to compete in high school football
. Instead, he joined Lake Oswego High School
's swim team, and in 1960, helped lead the team to an Oregon state swimming championship as a freshman.
to train under swim coach George Haines
of the budding Santa Clara Swim Club
. Two years later at the age of 18, he won three freestyle events at the AAU
national championships. He made the U.S. Olympic team in two individual events and two relays. Months later, he won four gold medals and set three world records at the 1964 Summer Olympics
, at the time the most medals won by an American since Jesse Owens
in 1936. His success helped earn him the James E. Sullivan Award
as the top amateur athlete in the United States, and the AP Athlete of the Year, defeating runner-up Johnny Unitas
by a wide margin. He was also named ABC's
Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year.
As an interesting aside, Schollander appeared on an episode of "To Tell the Truth", directly after winning his 4 gold medals.
and is a member of the Skull and Bones
secret society and the Delta Kappa Epsilon
(Phi chapter) fraternity along with the future President George W. Bush
. He was the captain of Yale's swim team, winning three individual NCAA
championships. Schollander returned to the Olympics in 1968
, winning the gold medal in the 4×200 meter freestyle relay
, but finishing second in the 200 meter freestyle
, the event that Schollander had considered to be his best. This was the first Olympics in which 200 meter swimming events were part of the competition.
Following the 1968 Olympics, Don Schollander retired from competitive swimming and moved on to other activities.
in 1965, at the age of 19. In 1983, he was one of the first group of inductees into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. He is also a member of Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
.
In 1971, he published his first book, Deep Water (ISBN 0720705428, with Duke Savage) chronicling his swimming, his teammates and coaches, and the behind-the-scenes politics of international swimming, especially the Olympic Games. He followed this book in 1974 with Inside Swimming (ISBN 0809289059, with Joel H. Cohen).
Schollander resides with his wife Cheryl in Lake Oswego
, where he runs Schollander Development, a real estate
development company. His gold medal
s are on display to the public at a Bank of America
branch location in downtown Lake Oswego. Schollander has three children, Jeb, Kyle and Katie.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He won total of five gold medals and one silver medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
. With four gold medals, he was the most successful athlete at that Summer Olympics.
Early career
Schollander was born in Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, and learned competitive swimming from his uncle, Newt Perry, who ran a swim school in Florida. As a boy, Schollander moved with his family to Lake Oswego, Oregon
Lake Oswego, Oregon
Lake Oswego is a city located primarily in Clackamas County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Small portions of the city are also located in neighboring Multnomah and Washington counties. Located south of Portland surrounding the Oswego Lake, the town was founded in 1847 and incorporated as Oswego in...
. Though his first sporting passion was football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, he was too small to compete in high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
. Instead, he joined Lake Oswego High School
Lake Oswego High School
Lake Oswego High School is a public high school in Lake Oswego, Oregon. LOHS is accredited through the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges.-History:...
's swim team, and in 1960, helped lead the team to an Oregon state swimming championship as a freshman.
Olympics
As a teenager in 1962, Schollander moved to Santa Clara, CaliforniaSanta Clara, California
Santa Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
to train under swim coach George Haines
George Haines
George Frederick Haines was a swimmer and swimming coach who coached at the Santa Clara Swim Club, Stanford University and UCLA. He also coached for seven U.S. Olympic swim teams...
of the budding Santa Clara Swim Club
Santa Clara Swim Club
The Santa Clara Swim Club is a renowned swimming club and team based in Santa Clara, California. Founded in 1951 by George Haines, the team's coach until 1974, the club has many notable alumni, including Donna de Varona, Pablo Morales, Don Schollander, Mark Spitz, Chris von Saltza, Lynn Burke,...
. Two years later at the age of 18, he won three freestyle events at the 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...
national championships. He made the U.S. Olympic team in two individual events and two relays. Months later, he won four gold medals and set three world records at the 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
, at the time the most medals won by an American since Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens
James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens was an American track and field athlete who specialized in the sprints and the long jump. He participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he achieved international fame by winning four gold medals: one each in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the...
in 1936. His success helped earn him the James E. Sullivan Award
James E. Sullivan Award
The James E. Sullivan Award, presented by the American Amateur Athletic Union , is awarded annually in April to "the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States". Often referred to as the Oscar of sports awards, it was first presented in 1930. The award is named for the AAU's founder and past...
as the top amateur athlete in the United States, and the AP Athlete of the Year, defeating runner-up Johnny Unitas
Johnny Unitas
John Constantine Unitas , known as Johnny Unitas or "Johnny U", and nicknamed "The Golden Arm", was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts. He was a record-setting quarterback, and the National Football...
by a wide margin. He was also named ABC's
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year.
As an interesting aside, Schollander appeared on an episode of "To Tell the Truth", directly after winning his 4 gold medals.
College and Olympic swimming
Schollander attended Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and is a member of the Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
secret society and the Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon is a fraternity founded at Yale College in 1844 by 15 men of the sophomore class who had not been invited to join the two existing societies...
(Phi chapter) fraternity along with the future President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. He was the captain of Yale's swim team, winning three individual NCAA
NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships
The NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships are college championship events in the USA. The event is held annually, and the NCAA hosts Swimming & Diving Championships in each of its three Divisions ....
championships. Schollander returned to the Olympics in 1968
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
, winning the gold medal in the 4×200 meter freestyle relay
Swimming at the 1968 Summer Olympics
At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, 29 events in swimming were contested. There was a total of 468 participants from 51 countries competing. The United States dominated the competition, winning 52 of 87 medals.-Medal table:-Men's events:...
, but finishing second in the 200 meter freestyle
Swimming at the 1968 Summer Olympics
At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, 29 events in swimming were contested. There was a total of 468 participants from 51 countries competing. The United States dominated the competition, winning 52 of 87 medals.-Medal table:-Men's events:...
, the event that Schollander had considered to be his best. This was the first Olympics in which 200 meter swimming events were part of the competition.
Following the 1968 Olympics, Don Schollander retired from competitive swimming and moved on to other activities.
After swimming
Schollander was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of FameInternational 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 1965, at the age of 19. In 1983, he was one of the first group of inductees into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. He is also a member of Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall...
.
In 1971, he published his first book, Deep Water (ISBN 0720705428, with Duke Savage) chronicling his swimming, his teammates and coaches, and the behind-the-scenes politics of international swimming, especially the Olympic Games. He followed this book in 1974 with Inside Swimming (ISBN 0809289059, with Joel H. Cohen).
Schollander resides with his wife Cheryl in Lake Oswego
Lake Oswego, Oregon
Lake Oswego is a city located primarily in Clackamas County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Small portions of the city are also located in neighboring Multnomah and Washington counties. Located south of Portland surrounding the Oswego Lake, the town was founded in 1847 and incorporated as Oswego in...
, where he runs Schollander Development, a real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
development company. His 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 are on display to the public at a Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
branch location in downtown Lake Oswego. Schollander has three children, Jeb, Kyle and Katie.