Rowdy Gaines

Rowdy Gaines
Personal information
Full name Ambrose Gaines IV
Nationality  United States
Born February 17, 1959 (1959-02-17) (age 53)
Winter Haven, FL, U.S.
Sport
Sport Swimming
Stroke(s) freestyle
College team Auburn Tigers

Ambrose ("Rowdy") Gaines IV (born February 17, 1959 in Winter Haven, Florida) is a former American swimmer, U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame member, Olympic three-time gold medalist, and member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. He is currently the chief fundraiser for USA Swimming as well as a swimming analyst for television networks ESPN and NBC including coverage of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics, his fourth as a TV commentator.[1]

Contents

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Biography

Born in Winter Haven, Florida, Rowdy unsuccessfully tried other sports during his teen-age years but turned to swimming as a Winter Haven High School junior where he improved quickly and was offered a swimming scholarship to Auburn University. At Auburn he became a five-time NCAA champion under the training of former Stanford University and Auburn head swimming coach Richard Quick. During one four-year period, Gaines held eleven World Records and, had the United States not boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, he would have been a favorite to win multiple medals at the event. After graduating from Auburn in 1981, where he is often cited as the most famous and intelligent student athlete to ever attend Auburn University, he stopped swimming for several months, thinking he had missed his opportunity to be an Olympic medalist, but was urged to resume swimming by his father. When Gaines qualified at the 1984 Olympic trials, his times were not particularly impressive and he was not expected to place at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. He won the 100 meter freestyle off a very good start and swam the anchor leg for both the US gold medal-winning 4 Ă— 100-meter freestyle and 4 Ă— 100-meter medley teams.

In August 1991, Gaines was temporarily paralyzed with Guillain-Barré syndrome. After a two-month hospitalization, he experienced a surprising full recovery attributed largely to his superb physical condition as a competitive swimmer. He eventually regained world-class times and, at the age of 35, became the oldest swimmer to qualify for the trials for the 1996 Summer Olympics. Ultimately, he chose not to compete in the trials for Atlanta but rather continue his career as a television commentator, covering swimming for NBC at the Games.

Gaines was Outreach Director for the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in Birmingham, Alabama from 1997 until 2003 when he moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado to become the Chief Fund-raising and Alumni Officer for USA Swimming. In December 2007, Gaines became a spokesperson for LIMU, The Company, a Direct Sales Company that manufactures LIMU ORIGINAL, BLU FROG, LIMU LEAN, and LIMU ORIGINAL SHOTS.

Gaines still holds Masters long course world records in several freestyle events. At the 2011 Short Course Masters Nationals, Gaines broke his own national record in the 50-54 division 50 yard freestyle (21.36),[2] notable in that he did the swim without the use of a technical suit (now banned). On July 16, 2011, Gaines broke the 50-54 Age Group record in the long course 100m freestyle with a time of 54.6[3]. Gaines currently resides in Lake Mary, Florida where he is Executive Director of Rowdy's Kidz, a charitable program sponsored by LIMU, The Company. His wife, Judy, and he have four daughters: Emily, Madison, Savanna and Isabelle.

Awards

See also

References

http://www.rowdyskidz.com/news.shtml

External links

Records
Preceded by
Chris Cavanaugh
Men's 50 metre freestyle
world record holder (long course)

April 10, 1980 – April 10, 1980
Succeeded by
Bruce Stahl
Preceded by
Jonty Skinner
Men's 100 metre freestyle
world record holder (long course)

3 April 1981 – 6 August 1985
Succeeded by
Matt Biondi
Awards
Preceded by
None
World Swimmer of the Year
1980
Succeeded by
Alex Baumann
Preceded by
Darrell Griffith
Mark D. Herrmann
Donald J. Paige
Ronald K. Perry
Randy Lee Schleusener
NCAA Top Five Award
Class of 1982
Par J. Arvidsson
Rowdy Gaines
Oliver Luck
Kenneth W. Sims
Lynette Woodard
Succeeded by
Bruce Baumgartner
John Elway
Richard J. Giusto
Charles F. Kiraly
David R. Rimington
Preceded by
Valerie Ackerman
Danny Ainge
Charles Davis
Terry Schroeder
Mike Singletary
Susan Wellington
Silver Anniversary Awards (NCAA)
Class of 2007
Gail Koziara Boudreaux
Ambrose “Rowdy” Gaines
Steve Jordan
Patricia Melton
Ann Woods Smith
William Stetson, M.D.
Succeeded by
Class of 2008