Douglas Albert Russell (born February 20, 1946) is an American former competitive

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in three different events.

Career

Russell was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, but raised in

Midland, Texas Midland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Midland County with small portions extending into Martin County. The population was 132,524 as of the 2020 census. Located in the Permian Basin in West Texas, Midland is a ...

. He swam for Midland High School, in the new 50-meter "Alamo" pool built by the city in 1962. It was later renamed in his honor: the "Douglas Russell Swimming Pool." He was an all-around swimmer in high school—swimming competitively in butterfly, backstroke, and individual medley events. Swimmers of his era remember him as a tough competitor who was hard to beat but brought out the best in those around him.T Paton About the Author
Retrieved July 22, 2008. He attended The

University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA or UT Arlington) is a public research university in Arlington, Texas, United States. It is the second oldest university in the University of Texas System and was founded in 1895. It was in the Texas A& ...

, where he swam for coach Don Easterling's UT Arlington Mavericks swimming and diving team in

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA) competition. He also swam for SMU Hall of Fame coach Red Barr, who coached the Pepsi Swim Club in Dallas and was an alternate coach for the 1968 Summer Olympics which Russell attended."Red Barr Dies Coached SMU to 17 Titles," ''The Daily Advocate'', Greenville, Ohio, 14 June 1971, pg. 8 Doug Russell Park, part of the southern edge of the UT Arlington campus, is named in his honor. At the

1967 Pan American Games The 1967 Pan American Games, officially known as the V Pan American Games () and commonly known as Winnipeg 1967, were held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, from July 23 to August 6, 1967. Winnipeg was chosen as host of the Pan American Games on ...

, he won a gold medal in the 200-meter individual medley. He won an NCAA national championship in the 100-yard butterfly in 1968, and

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

(AAU) national outdoor title in the 100-meter butterfly. At the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...

, Russell won the first-ever gold medal awarded in the men's 100-meter butterfly—an event which made its debut at the 1968 Olympics–in an upset over teammate and favorite

Mark Spitz Mark Andrew Spitz (born February 10, 1950) is an American former competitive swimmer and nine-time Olympic champion. He was the Lists of Olympic medalists#Medalist with most medals by Olympiad, most successful athlete at the 1972 Summer Olympi ...

. He won another gold medal swimming the butterfly leg for the winning U.S. team in the 4×100-meter medley relay. Russell, together with relay teammates

Charlie Hickcox Charles Buchanan Hickcox (February 6, 1947 – June 14, 2010) was an American competition swimmer, three-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in six events. Career Hickcox was born in Phoenix, Arizona. He attended Indiana Uni ...

(backstroke), Don McKenzie (breaststroke), and

Ken Walsh Kenneth Marshall Walsh (born February 11, 1945) is an American former competition swimmer for Michigan State University, a two-time 1968 Olympic gold medalist, and former world record-holder in three events. Career Swimming for Michigan Walsh ...

(freestyle), set a new world record of 3:54.9 in the event final. Russell 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 stu ...

as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1985. He was the head coach of the Austin Trinity Aquatic Club until it was disbanded in 2020. He more recently coached at Trinity Aquatics in Spring Valley, California.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Doug 1946 births Living people American male backstroke swimmers American male butterfly swimmers American male medley swimmers College men's swimmers in the United States World record setters in swimming Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming Sportspeople from Midland, Texas Swimmers at the 1968 Summer Olympics University of Texas at Arlington alumni Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics Summer World University Games medalists in swimming FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States FISU World University Games silver medalists for the United States Swimmers at the 1967 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1967 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 1967 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in swimming 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen

Career

See also

References

External links