George Breen
Encyclopedia
George Breen is a retired freestyle
swimmer from the United States
, who has won four Olympic medals (one silver, three bronze) in his career. Breen twice broke the world record in the 1500 m freestyle.
Breen trained for his long course 1500 m world records in a 20 yard pool. He began swimming at seventeen, after focusing on rowing and soccer as a youth. In his first time trial as a freshman at Cortland State, he swam six minutes and 30 seconds for 440 yds. He started late, came on fast, and became the best.
Probably his most impressive effort was his 1500 m freestyle world record (long course) on May 3, 1956 at the 1956 U.S. AAU
Indoor Championship at Yale University
in New Haven, Connecticut
, where he not only lowered the world record by 13.1 seconds, but finished one minute and 18 seconds ahead of Frank Brunell, himself a many-time U.S. National Champion. No one has ever finished so far ahead of the second man in the 75-year history of the U.S. Nationals.
In five years, from 1956 to 1960, he won 22 U.S. National Championships, set six world records and made two Olympic Teams for the United States, captaining the 1960 U.S. Team which won the title back from the Australians who had won it all in 1956. Coached by the famous Doc Counsilman Breen's thrashing-rolling-shoulder-roll and two-beat kick was an unorthodox but important step in the evolution of modern freestyle swimming. In 1975 he was inducted as an honoree in the International Swimming Hall of Fame
. Breen coached the Men's Swimming Team at the University of Pennsylvania from the late 1960s until 1982, and served as a coach for U.S. Swimming. He formerly coached for Gloucester County Institute of Technology (Deptford, NJ) swim team (now separate from the school, it is known as the Greater Philadelphia Aquatic Club) and coaches now at the Jersey Wahoos Swim Club in Mount Laurel, New Jersey
.
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...
swimmer from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, who has won four Olympic medals (one silver, three bronze) in his career. Breen twice broke the world record in the 1500 m freestyle.
Breen trained for his long course 1500 m world records in a 20 yard pool. He began swimming at seventeen, after focusing on rowing and soccer as a youth. In his first time trial as a freshman at Cortland State, he swam six minutes and 30 seconds for 440 yds. He started late, came on fast, and became the best.
Probably his most impressive effort was his 1500 m freestyle world record (long course) on May 3, 1956 at the 1956 U.S. 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...
Indoor Championship at Yale University
Yale 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...
in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, where he not only lowered the world record by 13.1 seconds, but finished one minute and 18 seconds ahead of Frank Brunell, himself a many-time U.S. National Champion. No one has ever finished so far ahead of the second man in the 75-year history of the U.S. Nationals.
In five years, from 1956 to 1960, he won 22 U.S. National Championships, set six world records and made two Olympic Teams for the United States, captaining the 1960 U.S. Team which won the title back from the Australians who had won it all in 1956. Coached by the famous Doc Counsilman Breen's thrashing-rolling-shoulder-roll and two-beat kick was an unorthodox but important step in the evolution of modern freestyle swimming. In 1975 he was inducted as an honoree in 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...
. Breen coached the Men's Swimming Team at the University of Pennsylvania from the late 1960s until 1982, and served as a coach for U.S. Swimming. He formerly coached for Gloucester County Institute of Technology (Deptford, NJ) swim team (now separate from the school, it is known as the Greater Philadelphia Aquatic Club) and coaches now at the Jersey Wahoos Swim Club in Mount Laurel, New Jersey
Mount Laurel Township, New Jersey
Mount Laurel Township is a Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, and is an edge city "suburb" of Philadelphia. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township population was 40,221...
.