Robert John Herman Kiphuth (November 17, 1890 – January 7, 1967) was an American

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head men's swimming coach at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

for 41 years, from 1918 to 1959. During his tenure with Bulldogs swimming and diving, he amassed a record of 520 wins to only 12 losses, along with four

NCAA titles The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athlete, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic sports, ...

(1942, 1944, 1951, 1953), earning him a reputation for being the winningest coach in history. Kiphuth also served as the head coach for multiple U.S. Olympic swimming teams (both men and women, depending on the year). From 1947 to 1949, he doubled as Yale's athletic director. He was largely responsible for the modern sport of swimming, which he shaped by introducing such innovations (now standard practices) as dryland workoutsKiphuth's entry
from the website of the International Swimming Hall of Fame (www.ishof.org); retrieved June 12, 2012.. and interval training. From 1951 to 1961, Kiphuth was the publisher of '' Swimming World Magazine''. Kiphuth was awarded the

Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merit ...

by President Lyndon Johnson on December 6, 1963. He had been chosen to receive the award by President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

(President Kennedy also received the Medal of Freedom, posthumously, at the same ceremony). Since 1968, the high-point award at the USA's Swimming National Championships has been named in his honor (the "Kiphuth Award"). In 1965 he was inducted into the

International Swimming Hall of Fame The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum (ISHOF) is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests and serving as the central point for the s ...

. Kiphurth died on January 7, 1967, in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

, after suffering a heart attack.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kiphuth, Robert J. H. 1967 deaths 1890 births American swimming coaches Yale Bulldogs athletic directors Yale Bulldogs swimming coaches Yale University faculty Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients People from Tonawanda, New York

See also

References

External links