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

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

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

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

for 41 years, from 1918 to 1959. During his tenure with the

Yale Bulldogs swimming and diving Since its inception in 1898, the Yale Bulldogs swimming and diving program has produced numerous champion athletes. Many Yale swimmers have gone on to earn All-American honors and even break world records. The team has won 4 NCAA The Natio ...

team, he amassed a record of 520 wins to only 12 losses, along with four NCAA titles (1942, 1944, 1951, 1953), earning a reputation as one of America's most winning swim coaches in the history of the sport.

Coaching achievements and philosophy

Kiphuth was born to John and Marie E. Kiphuth in Towanda, New York on November 17, 1890. Towanda, in the greater Buffalo area, was not known for producing great swimmers, but several great swim coaches. Though he was an exercise, gymnastics, and fitness instructor, he left the gym to begin his duties at the old Carnegie Pool when Matt Mann left as Yale swim coach in 1917. His success as a swim coach was immediate and ongoing, and his innovative approach was quickly adopted by many in the swimming community. Breaking from the accepted wisdom of his era, he encouraged his swimmers to run cross-country track to gain endurance, and to engage in dry land exercises to gain strength. Championing an enlightened approach to training his swimmers, he led his Yale teams to four NCAA Championships in 1942, 1944, 1951, and 1953. His books and articles greatly benefitted the swimming community and his accomplishments convinced his competitors of the soundness of his approach. In addition to his NCAA championships, he won 38 Eastern Intercollegiate titles, produced 14 AAU National Team Championships, and was a U.S. Olympic swim coach for five Olympics including three as Head Coach in 1932, 1936, and 1948. Near the end of his coaching career, his Yale teams won 142 consecutive dual meets. His 1948 U.S. Olympic swim team won first place in every event, an accomplishment that has never been equaled.

Olympic coach

As noted, 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 training approach to the sport of swimming, with his focus on dryland workouts,Kiphuth's entry
from the website of the International Swimming Hall of Fame (www.ishof.org); retrieved June 12, 2012. and interval training.

Swimming community roles

From 1951 to 1961, Kiphuth was the first publisher and a co-founder of ''

Swimming World Magazine } ''Swimming World'' is a US-based quarterly swimming magazine that was first published in a magazine format as ''Junior Swimmer'' in January 1960. It concurrently runs online websites ''Swimming World Magazine'' and ''Swimming World News'' (kn ...

'', which heralded a more informed approach to assessing swimming competition on the team and individual level. The magazine was another of his gifts to the swimming community and an important part of his legacy. He was a founder of the Council for National Cooperation in Aquatics, served as a Vice President of the International Swimming Hall of Fame, directed the Boys Clubs of America, and served with the National Art Museum of Sports, and the President’s Fitness Council. He was also the National Swim Chairman of the AAU.

Honors

Kiphuth was awarded the

Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, alongside the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by decision of the president of the United States to "any person recommended to the President ...

by President

Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after assassination of John F. Kennedy, the assassination of John F. Ken ...

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), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

. 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 as an Honor member 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 stu ...

. He is also in the Buffalo, NY. area Sports Hall of Fame. Kiphurth died on January 7, 1967, in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

, after suffering a heart attack. He was married to Louise Delaney Kiphuth, who pre-deceased him in 1941. He had one son, Delaney, who attended Yale and served as a Football and swim coach, and then as Athletics Director at Yale for twenty-two years, from 1954-1976. Robert H. Kiphuth was buried in New Haven's Evergreen Cemetery, as was his wife Louise.

References

External links