Geoffrey Gaberino
Encyclopedia
Geoffrey Steven "Geoff" Gaberino (born July 18, 1962) is a former American college and international swimmer
who is an Olympic
gold medal
ist.
in 1962. He was a standout swimmer at the Baylor School
in Chattanooga, Tennessee
, and led the team to an Eastern Prep School Championship in 1980
in Gainesville, Florida
, where he swam for coach Randy Reese
's Florida Gators swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) competition from 1980 to 1984. A fourteen-time All-American at the University of Florida, Gaberino served as team captain in 1983 and 1984 when the Gators won the NCAA men's swimming championships. Gaberino graduated from Florida with his bachelor's degree
in 1984 and his master's degree
in business administration in 1988.
in Los Angeles
, having boosted the 4x200-meter freestyle relay team to the final. He was also an American and world record holder in the same event. Gaberino has been inducted into the Tennessee Swimming Hall of Fame, Chattanooga Sport Hall of Fame, Baylor School Sport Hall of Fame, and the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1996.
, where they own a small vacation rental property management company. Gaberino serves on an Alabama City of Excellence (ACE) Economic Development Committee, and is a board member of The Academy of Arts & Sciences. He has served on The Waterway Commission in addition to coaching youth baseball and serving as a Boy Scout
leader. Gaberino is also a veteran celebrity swimmer for Swim Across America, a charitable organization that uses former Olympians to raise funds for cancer research, in which he has participated for the past decade.
His role in the "Olympic Day in the Middle School" program earned him the honor of being asked in the 1996 Olympics opening ceremony to be one of the eight bearers of the Olympic flag at the beginning of the games.
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
who is an Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
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...
ist.
Early years
Geoff Gaberino was born in Dallas, TexasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
in 1962. He was a standout swimmer at the Baylor School
Baylor School
Baylor School is a private, coeducational prep school on the outskirts of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The school was founded in 1893 and since 1915 has been located on the same hillside site by the Tennessee River. The school went through several incarnations: moving from an all-male military academy...
in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
, and led the team to an Eastern Prep School Championship in 1980
College career
Gaberino attended the University of FloridaUniversity of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he swam for coach Randy Reese
Randy Reese
Randy Reese is an American college and Olympic swimming coach. Reese is best known for coaching the Florida Gators swimming and diving teams to four national championships, and coaching the winners of eighteen Olympic gold, eight silver and eight bronze medals...
's Florida Gators swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) competition from 1980 to 1984. A fourteen-time All-American at the University of Florida, Gaberino served as team captain in 1983 and 1984 when the Gators won the NCAA men's swimming championships. Gaberino graduated from Florida with his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in 1984 and his master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in business administration in 1988.
International career
Gaberino earned a gold medal in the 1984 Summer Olympics1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, having boosted the 4x200-meter freestyle relay team to the final. He was also an American and world record holder in the same event. Gaberino has been inducted into the Tennessee Swimming Hall of Fame, Chattanooga Sport Hall of Fame, Baylor School Sport Hall of Fame, and the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1996.
Life after swimming
Gaberino and his wife Susan live with their two sons, Wilson and Spencer, in Gulf Shores, AlabamaGulf Shores, Alabama
-External links:*...
, where they own a small vacation rental property management company. Gaberino serves on an Alabama City of Excellence (ACE) Economic Development Committee, and is a board member of The Academy of Arts & Sciences. He has served on The Waterway Commission in addition to coaching youth baseball and serving as a Boy Scout
Boy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
leader. Gaberino is also a veteran celebrity swimmer for Swim Across America, a charitable organization that uses former Olympians to raise funds for cancer research, in which he has participated for the past decade.
His role in the "Olympic Day in the Middle School" program earned him the honor of being asked in the 1996 Olympics opening ceremony to be one of the eight bearers of the Olympic flag at the beginning of the games.
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- List of University of Florida alumni
- List of University of Florida Olympians