The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524451
52 THE WOLVERINE ❱ AUGUST 2024 ❱ IN MEMORIAM BY ANTHONY BROOME L egendary men's swimming and diving coach Jon Ur- banchek died at the age of 87 on May 9. He was known as one of the best swimming coaches in the United States and passed away sur- rounded by his family in Fullerton, Calif. Urbanchek made his mark at Michigan but was internationally known for his work with U.S. competitive swimming. He coached the U.S. Olympic Team in 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 and was a special coach in 2008 and 2012 in addition to coaching in a number of World Championships, Pan American Games and other international compe- titions. Olympic medalists under his watch include notable names like Mike Bar- rowman, Gustavo Borges, Tom Dolan, Brent Lang and Peter Vanderkaay, among others. He coached 44 Olym- pians to more than 20 medals with 11 golds, six silvers and four bronze medals to go with four world record holders. Twenty-six of those Olympians came from U-M, with 10 Wolverines combin- ing for 17 medals. Urbanchek was an immigrant from communist Hungary due to the 1956 Soviet invasion, and he changed the sport after coming to America, "imple- menting innovative training techniques, stroke innovations and race strategies that have been widely adopted," accord- ing to the release from U-M Athletics. "Jon Urbanchek's name is synony- mous with extraordinary accomplish- ments and coaching innovation in the sport of swimming, but his positive hu- man impact on the lives of so many is his true legacy," athletics director Warde Manuel said. "His story speaks to people of all backgrounds — from coming to the United States as an immigrant to find- ing success and reaching the pinnacle of professional and personal life through his work and amazing family." Michigan enshrined him into its Hall of Honor in 2016 to commemorate a career that ran from 1982 to 2004 in Ann Arbor. He helped the Wolverines to the 1995 NCAA championship in a run that included 10 straight Big Ten Conference crowns from 1986-95. Ur- banchek's teams were 163-34 in dual meets with a 100-4 record against Big Ten opponents. TRUE BLUE Legendary Swim Coach Jon Urbanchek Leaves Lasting Legacy During his 22 years as a head coach at Michigan, Urbanchek led the men's swimming and diving program to the 1995 NCAA championship and 13 Big Ten titles. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY