The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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48 ■ THE WOLFPACKER PACK PAST BY TIM PEELER S teve Gregg was always one of the smartest, most reflective swimmers in the pool. A silver medalist at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal who also won an NCAA championship in the 200 but- terfly that same year, Gregg earned an undergraduate degree from NC State in zoology, a master's degree in exer- cise science from Arizona State and a doctorate in exercise biochemistry and physiology from California-Berkeley. He spent decades working in the field of medical research and the last 10 years of his life working for a non- profit healthcare advocacy organiza- tion, but there was never a time when there wasn't a trace of chlorine in his blood and a splash of water on his face. Gregg, a 2013 inductee into the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame's second class, died on Sept. 11 at his home in Charles- ton, S.C., at the age of 68. His death came as a shock to his ACC championship teammates, many of whom did not know he had cancer, much less was in the latter stages. Gregg always kept his life fairly private even with his best swimming friends. They gathered during the last weekend in September to remember and share sto- ries about their former teammate. Dan Harrigan, his NC State room- mate and teammate, provided one of the eulogies, sharing stories about their global antics as members of the U.S. Pan American, Olympic and other teams for international events. "We had so many great moments of togetherness," Harrigan said. "I am so glad that we weren't competitors in the same events, because that created the opportunity for an unspoken commit- ment to push and support the other in our own events. "We also pushed ourselves and each other in swim practices, adding to the intensity of our NC State practices un- der [notoriously intense head coach Don] Easterling. Having those expe- riences truly helped make us better swimmers." Peak Performance While swimming for the Wolfpack, Gregg was a four-time All-American and six-time ACC champion, becoming the first athlete in league history to win four consecutive championships in the same event (the 200 butterfly). He also received the H.C. Kennett Award, hon- oring him as NC State's most outstand- ing student-athlete, and was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary Team. Gregg reached the peak of his swim- ming career at the 1976 Montreal Games, where he broke the Olympic and world records in the 200 butterfly in a preliminary race, then won the silver medal in the final. Not winning the gold left an indelible mark on his psyche to the point that he wrote "Second is last" on his poolboy training float for the rest of his swimming career. To further his disappointment, Gregg Former NC State Great Steve Gregg Had A Lifelong Passion For Swimming Gregg (right) and fellow NC State swimmer Dan Harrigan were Olympic teammates in 1976. Gregg set Olympic and world records in the preliminaries of the 200 butterfly and went on to win a silver medal in the event. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS