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Patricia ("Pat") Joan McCormick (born May 12, 1930 in Seal Beach, California) is a retired female diver from the United States, who won a total number of four gold medals by winning both diving events at two consecutive Summer Olympics (1952 and 1956).
As a child in the 1930s and 40's she was notable for executing dives that were not allowed in competition for female divers (dives reputed to scare most men) and for practicing off the Los Alamitos Bridge in Long Beach, California Harbor.[1]
After the Olympics McCormick did diving tours and was a model for Catalina swimsuits. She served on the Los Angeles 1984 Summer Olympics organizing committee and began a program called "Pat's Champs"-- a foundation to help motivate kids to dream big and to set practical ways to succeed.[2]
Patricia ("Pat") Joan McCormick - Diving Gold Medalist
Born May 12, 1930 in Seal Beach, California is a retired female diver from the United States, who won a total number of four gold medals by winning both diving events at two consecutive Summer Olympics (1952 and 1956).
As a child in the 1930s and 40's she was notable for executing dives that were not allowed in competition for female divers (dives reputed to scare most men) and for practicing off the Los Alamitos Bridge in Long Beach, California Harbor.
After the Olympics McCormick did diving tours and was a model for Catalina swimsuits. She served on the Los Angeles 1984 Summer Olympics organizing committee and began a program called "Pat's Champs"-- a foundation to help motivate kids to dream big and to set practical ways to succeed.[
In 1948, Pat McCormick missed earning her place on the United States Olympic Diving Team by less than 1/100th of a point. Faced with such adversity, many seventeen-year-old's might say they gave it their best shot and move on. Perhaps at best, we could expect someone to aspire to make the team the next time around.
In 1952 and in 1956, Pat McCormick created the biggest splash in the history of diving by winning two gold medals in two consecutive Olympic Games-the first and only woman in the history of the sport to achieve what is called a "double-double".
By 1984 there was a new Pat McCormick on the Olympic diving scene. Her daughter Kelly earned a silver medal for the American Team, followed by a bronze in 1988. The McCormicks are the only mother-daughter medal winning combination in the history of the Olympics.
Pat McCormick's perspective of the Olympics spans many years and encompasses the roles of athlete, competitor, mother, television and radio commentator, communicator and promotional speaker. She was the official representative to two US Presidents, and one of nine athletes to carry the Olympic flag in the Opening ceremonies of the 1984 Olympics, representing her country and her fellow Olympians.
Today Pat McCormick enjoys being a sportsperson - riding, scuba diving, golfing, body surfing and skiing. Among Pat McCormick's many awards and honors are Sports Illustrated magazine's "Athlete of the Year" and "Woman of the Year", as voted by the Associated Press and United Press International, recipient of the Sullivan Award as "Amateur Athlete of the Year" and member of the Olympic Hall of Fame.
Jim Murray, Pulitzer Prize winning syndicated sports writer may have said it best. "Pat McCormick is one of the larger-than-life stars of Olympic history. There are Jesse Owens, Jim Thorpe, Mark Spitz, Al Oerter and there is Pat McCormick."
She is also an artist with work being displayed at the Art of the Olympians, in Fort Myers, FL.
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