John Naber

John Naber at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games

John Phillips Naber (born 20 January 1956) is an American former competitive swimmer, five-time Olympic medalist, former world record-holder in multiple events (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 4x100 medley relay, and 4x200 freestyle relay), a 10-time NCAA champion, a motivational speaker, a professional writer, and a sports broadcaster for pool and open water swimming events like the RCP Tiburon Mile.

Naber was born and raised in Evanston, Illinois. After high school, he attended the University of Southern California, where he completed his bachelor's degree in psychology in 1977. While he was at USC, Naber helped lead the USC Trojans swimming team to four consecutive NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships.

Olympic Games Career

Naber won four gold medals at the 1976 Montreal Olympics Games in Quebec, Canada. Each of these victories was swum in world-record time. One of Naber's gold medals was for the first 200-meter backstroke swam in under two minutes, and his winning time of one minute and 59.19 seconds set a world record that stood for seven years. His world record of 55.49 second in the 100 meter backstroke also stood for seven years.

Honors

• For his Olympic accomplishments in Montreal, Naber won the 1977 James E. Sullivan Award, which is presented to the top American amateur athlete of the year.
• He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an Honor Swimmer in 1982.
• In May 2014, he was inducted into Woodside High School's Community Hall of Fame.

External links

• Small Talk, Grand Visions, Huge Personalities at the Aquatic Capital Of America
• John Naber and His 10,000-yard Backstroke Sets
• It Really Was The Good O' Days with Brian Goodell and Bobby Hackett
• Where The Streets Have Swimmers' Names
• Epic! Historic! Inspirational! Humorous! Dramatic! 10 Out Of 10!
• Once A Competitor, Always A Competitor
• John Naber
• Diary Of A Double With Antonio Argüelles - Week 9
• Racing Against The Best In The Pool And Open Water
• Aquatic Capital Of American Announces Its Hall Of Famers