Scott Spann Jr. (born May 11, 1988) is a former American competition

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 ...

and

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

medalist.

Career

At the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, Spann won the 200m breaststroke in 2:09.97, earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team roster. Spann also placed third in the 100m breaststroke at trials in 1:00.59. At the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

in Beijing, China, Spann placed sixth overall in the 200m breaststroke in 2:09.76. In September 2008, following the Olympics, Spann had surgery to remove a piece of bone that had broken off of his

patella The patella (: patellae or patellas), also known as the kneecap, is a flat, rounded triangular bone which articulates with the femur (thigh bone) and covers and protects the anterior articular surface of the knee joint. The patella is found in m ...

and embedded in his

tendon A tendon or sinew is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue, dense fibrous connective tissue that connects skeletal muscle, muscle to bone. It sends the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system, while withstanding tensi ...

. Previously diagnosed as

tendonitis Tendinopathy is a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder ( rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow ( tenn ...

, Spann believes he sustained the injury in late 2007 or early 2008 during dryland weight training. Spann swam in a tri-meet for

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

against

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

and

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

only a few weeks after surgery. A second surgery followed in November to remove the bursa sac, which had swelled because he began swimming too soon after the first surgery, and to reshape the tendon, which had been frayed by the patella. Spann then developed a

staph infection A staphylococcal infection or staph infection is an infection caused by members of the ''Staphylococcus'' genus of bacteria. These bacteria commonly inhabit the skin and nose where they are innocuous, but may enter the body through cuts or abrasi ...

from the surgical wounds. He needed three more surgeries to fight the infection. Spann missed the rest of the 2008–09

NCAA 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. ...

season, his first with Texas after transferring from Michigan. With only 45 days to train, and time for preparation, he competed at the 2009 USA Nationals and World Championships Trials. Spann placed fourth in both the 100m and 200m breaststrokes, narrowly missing the chance to compete at the World Championships in Rome, Italy. Spann competed for Michigan from 2006 to 2008. While swimming for Michigan, Spann placed second in the 200-yard breaststroke and fourth in the 100-yard breaststroke at the 2008 NCAA Championships. Spann transferred to Texas in 2008, after his sophomore year, where he swam for Hall of Fame Coach

Eddie Reese Edwin Charles Reese (born July 23, 1941) is a Hall of Fame American college and Olympic swimming coach, and a former college swimmer for the University of Florida. Reese won 15 NCAA team championships as the head coach of the University of Texa ...

and Associate Coach Kris Kubik. In his junior year at Texas, Spann placed 2nd in both the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststrokes at the 2010 NCAA Championships. He helped lead the Longhorns to a first-place finish at the NCAA National Championship. Spann was elected to be one of three captains (alongside Jim Robertson and Bryan Collins) for the 2010-11 Texas Longhorns swimming and diving team, finishing as the runner-up at the NCAA National Championships. Spann broke school records at two of the top swimming schools in the nation. At the University of Michigan, Spann broke the 100-yard breaststroke, 200-yard breaststroke, 200-yard medley relay and the 400-yard medley relay. At the University of Texas, Spann broke the 200-yard breaststroke team record previously held by Olympic gold medalist and world record-holder Brendan Hansen.

Personal

Spann graduated from Suffolk University Law School in 2019. He is a personal injury attorney at the Derrick Law Office in Simpsonville, South Carolina."Scott Spann Joins Derrick Law Office"
Retrieved 14 February 2023. Spann's father, Scott Spann Sr., is a six-time U.S. swimming champion and won the bronze medal in the 200-meter individual medley at the

1979 Pan American Games The 1979 Pan American Games, officially the VIII Pan American Games () and commonly known as San Juan 1979, were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization (PASO), and were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from July 1 to Jul ...

. His sister, Alexi Spann, was the 200-meter breaststroke champion at the

2003 Pan American Games The 2003 Pan American Games, officially the XIV Pan American Games () and commonly known as Santo Domingo 2003, were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from August 1 to 17, 2003. The successful bid for the Games was made in the mid-1990 ...

References

External links

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Spann, Scott 1988 births Living people American male breaststroke swimmers Olympic swimmers for the United States Swimmers from Austin, Texas Sportspeople from New Orleans Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Texas Longhorns men's swimmers Westlake High School (Texas) alumni Swimmers at the 2007 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2007 Pan American Games Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States in swimming South Carolina lawyers 21st-century American sportsmen

Career

Personal

See also

References

External links