Matthew "Matt" Mann II (December 21, 1884 – August 6, 1962) was a British-born competitive swimmer and Hall of Fame American swimming coach born in Leeds, known for coaching the University of Michigan from 1925 to 1954, where he led his swimmers to 13 NCAA team titles. Considered one of the winningest coaches in American history, he served as the Head Coach of the U.S. men's swim team in the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. After Japan declared in ...

that won four gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze medal.

Early swimming and emigration

Mann learned to swim at eight in his hometown of

Leeds, West Yorkshire Leeds is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds , City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the List of English dist ...

, England, at the public bath house. He had the money to swim there once a week, on 'dirty water days', as the cost was only a penny. Otherwise, he swam in the outdoor sluiceways that drained from the wool mills. At nine, he was England's boy champion and became a senior champion at 14. In his early 20s, he emigrated penniless to North America in 1908, with his International Swimming Hall of Fame biography stating: "Matt emigrated steerage to the USA, was stopped at Ellis Island for insufficient funds, shipped to Toronto in a sealed railroad car with $2.00 left in his pocket. Walking down Yonge Street, he found a room for $1.00 a week, then bought a week's meal tickets in a bean wagon for his other dollar. 'I was on top of the world,' said Matt. 'I had no money but my needs were taken care of and I had a whole week to look for a job.'" At 16, he became the British Empire Champion in swimming. At 21, he came to Canada and then to the United States by 1908, where he first settled in Buffalo and soon set national YMCA records for the 100 and 220-yard freestyle events.

Coaching assignments

In 1907, he was one of the country's first High School Swim coaches in Buffalo, New York. In 1910, he coached at Syracuse University, and while coaching there he is credited by many with first introducing or at least popularizing the crawl stroke for competitive swimming. He also coached briefly at America's first Municipal pool in Brookline, Massachusetts. At one point, as an itinerant coach, he coached at New York Athletic Club, Yale, Brooklyn's Poly Prep and Navy all in one season. He coached 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 ...

, from 1915 to 1917, just before Bob Kiphuth became Head Coach. Prior to 1921, he also coached at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. From 1921 to 1925, he was head coach at the Detroit Athletic Club's swim team. While at the Detroit Athletic Club, he coached 1920 Olympic Gold and Silver medalist Margaret Woodbridge. He was one of the only coaches to have coached at both Harvard and Yale.

Michigan and Oklahoma

He coached 13

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. ...

champion swimming teams at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

between 1924 and 1954, who also won 16 Western Conference titles. During his tenure as Michigan coach, he turned out more Olympic swimmers than any other American college or university. After he was forced to retire at the University of Michigan because of mandatory retirement age rules, at the age of 70 he coached at the University of Oklahoma from around 1954–1962, leading them to eight Big Eight conference titles. His outstanding male swimmers included 1936 Olympic gold medalist and diver

Richard Degener Richard Kempster Degener (March 14, 1912 – August 24, 1995) was an American diving (sport), diver and NCAA titlist who swam for the University of Michigan and the Detroit Athletic Club. He won a bronze and a gold medal in the 3 m springboa ...

, 1932 freestyle Olympic medalist

Jim Cristy James Crapo Cristy, Jr. (January 22, 1913 – June 7, 1989) was a financial manager for the Updike Company, and a school board President. He was an American competition swimmer who specialized in distance freestyle events while swimming at the ...

, 1936 Olympian and Coach Taylor Drysdale, NCAA Backstroke champion and world record holder

Harry Holiday Harry Holiday, Jr. (July 2, 1923 – February 16, 1999) was an American swimmer. He was the world record holder in the backstroke at the University of Michigan in the 1940s and the president of steelmaker American Rolling Mill Co. (Armco) from 1 ...

, 1952 Olympians

Burwell Jones Burwell Otis Jones (March 23, 1933 – February 6, 2021) was a physician specializing in dermatology, and a former American competition swimmer. He was an All-American for the University of Michigan, and represented the U.S. in the 1952 Olympic ...

and backstroke gold medalist John Davies, 1953-55 NCAA freestyle champion Jack Wardrop and brother 1952 backstroke Olympian Bert Wardrop. Matt also coached his own son Matt Mann III who became a high school coach."Greatest Coach Matt Mann Dies", ''Detroit Free Press'', Detroit, Michigan, 8 August 1962, pg. 28

'52 Olympic Coach

He was head coach of the U.S. Men's Swimming Team at the

. His University of Michigan swimmer John Davies took a gold medal, winning the 200-meter men's breaststroke in an Olympic record time of 2:34.4. The team took an additional three gold, two silver and a bronze medal.Smith, Ted, "U.S. Wins Olympics With 610 Points to 553 1/2 for Russians", ''The Sacramento Bee'', Sacramento, California, 2 August 1952, pg. 10

Founding Camp Chikopi

Coach Mann was the founder and owner one of the first sport-specific summer camps. After purchasing land along a Canadian lake, he opened a boys swim camp, Camp Chikopi, near Burk's Falls, Ontario, in 1920. Many peers from coaching and friends attended the summer camp and a number of Olympic athletes trained and developed there. Coach Mann and his wife, Lea (Block) Mann, operated Camp Chikopi until Matt's death in 1962.

Honors

In 1980, he was inducted into the University of Michigan Hall of Honor, and later the American Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Honor. He was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1959. He was one of the 21 people to be 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 ...

when it was formed in 1965; he was one of only two coaches (with

Robert Kiphuth Robert John Herman Kiphuth (November 17, 1890 – January 7, 1967) was an American swimming coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head men's swimming coach at Yale University for 41 years, from 1918 to 1959. During his tenur ...

) and two Britons (with English Channel swimmer Captain

Matthew Webb Captain Matthew Webb (19 January 1848 – 24 July 1883) was an English seaman, swimmer and stuntman who became the first person to swim the English Channel without the use of artificial aids. Webb increased the popularity of swimming in Engl ...

) to be inducted. Many of Mann's swimmers went on to coaching. These include Gus Stager, his Michigan successor, Stanford's Tom Hainey, Pittsburgh's Ben Grady, Michigan State's Charles McCaffree, who served as his Assistant Coach in 1936-7, and Williams' Bob Muir.

Death in 1962

On August 6, 1962, Mann died at Camp Chikopi, which he founded in 1920 in Northern Ontario, Canada near Burk's Falls. A cause of death remained undetermined, but he had felt well that day, and the prior day. He collapsed in his bathroom after telling his family he felt tired, and several press reports speculated a heart attack as cause of death. His survivors, several of who continued to operate Camp Chikopi, included his wife Mary Lea, his daughter Mrs. Rosemary Dawson, and his son Matthew Mann III, a U of Michigan swimming star and later coach at Lansing High School. Another daughter, Mrs. Constance Willard was not present at his death."Swim Coach Matt Man II Dies At 77", ''Oakland Tribune'', Oakland, California, 7 August 1962, pg. 39 He was a member of the Ann Arbor Rotary Club, the First Church of Christ Scientist, and Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity."Matt Mann, Famed Swim Coach Dies", ''The Ann Arbor News'', Ann Arbor, Michigan, 7 August 1962, pg. 13 "Matt Mann Dies at 77", ''Battle Creek Enquirer'', Battle Creek, Michigan, 7 August 1962, pg. 11 His funeral was on August 9 at Muehlig Funeral Chapel in Ann Arbor, Michigan."Mann, Obituaries", ''Detroit Free Press'', 9 August 1962, pg. 31

References

External links

International Swimming Hall of Fame BiographyMichigan Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mann, Matthew 1884 births 1962 deaths English emigrants to the United States English swimming coaches American swimming coaches Harvard Crimson swimming coaches Michigan Wolverines swimming coaches Oklahoma Sooners swimming coaches Yale Bulldogs swimming coaches High school swimming coaches in the United States Swimmers from Leeds Olympic coaches for the United States English male freestyle swimmers British male freestyle swimmers American male freestyle swimmers