Jewogle - Mark Spitz

Biography:

Mark Andrew Spitz (born February 10, 1950, in Modesto, California) is an American swimmer.

He holds the record for most gold medals won in a single Olympic Games (seven), which he set at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany.

Between 1965 and 1972, Spitz won 9 Olympic gold medals, 1 silver, and 1 bronze; 5 Pan American golds; 31 National U.S. Amateur Athletic Union titles; and 8 U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association Championships. During those years, he set 33 world records.

Swimming career:

When he was two years old, his family moved to Hawaii, where he learned to swim. At age six his family returned to Sacramento, California, and he began to compete at his local swim club. At age nine,he was training at Arden Hills Swim Club in Sacramento with Sherm Chavoor, the swimming coach who mentored Spitz and six other Olympic medal winners.

Spitz continued to show his tremendous talents by the early age of 10, holding 17 national age-group and one world record. At 14, the family moved to Santa Clara so Spitz could train with George Haines of the Santa Clara Swim Club. At 16, he won the 100 meter butterfly at the National AAU Championships, the first of his 24 AAU titles.

Disappointed in his 1968 Olympic performance, Spitz entered Indiana University to train with legendary coach Doc Counsilman, who was also his coach in Mexico City. At Indiana from 1968-72, he was a pre-dental student and member of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity. While at IU, Spitz won 8 individual NCAA titles. In 1971, he won the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States.

He was named World Swimmer of the Year in 1969, 1971 and 1972.

He was nicknamed by his team mates, "Mark the Shark!"

Pan American Games:

In 1967, he established a record, winning five gold medals at the V Pan American Games in Winnipeg. Forty years later his record was surpassed by Brazilian swimmer Thiago Pereira at the XV Pan American Games held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when he won six gold medals.

Olympics:

Holder of 10 world records already, Spitz predicted brashly he would win 6 golds at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. However, he won only two team golds: the 4 x 100 meter freestyle, and the 4 x 200 meter freestyle relays. In addition, Spitz finished 2nd in the 100 m butterfly. In this event he was beaten by fellow American Doug Russell by 1/2 a second despite holding the world record and having beaten Russell in the previous 10 times they had swum against each other in the that year. Russell did briefly match Spitz's world record in late August of 1967, holding the world record equally with Spitz for 5 days before Spitz regained it soley on October 2 1967. As a result of being beaten by Russell, Spitz did not get to swim in the 100m Medley Relay which gave Russell his second Gold medal and the USA team another World Record swim . He also finished 3rd in the 100 m freestyle at the same games.

At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich (West Germany), Spitz was back to maintain his bid for the 6 gold medals. He did even more, winning 7 Olympic gold medals, a feat still unequaled by any other athlete in a single Olympiad. Further, Spitz set a new world record in each of the 7 events (the 100 m freestyle, 200 m freestyle, 100 m butterfly, 200 m butterfly, 4 x 100 m freestyle, 4 x 200 m freestyle and the 4 x 100 m medley).

Spitz's accomplishments at Munich were overshadowed by the Palestinian terrorism attack, known as the Munich Massacre, that claimed the lives of 11 Israeli athletes (Spitz had previously spent time in Israel competing in the Maccabiah Games). In the immediate aftermath Spitz, who is Jewish, left Munich.

Maccabiah Games:

The 1965 Maccabiah Games was his first international competition. At the age of 15, in Tel Aviv Spitz won four gold medals and was named the most outstanding athlete.

He returned to Israel in 1969, following the Mexico Olympics, to again compete in the Maccabiah. This time he won six gold medals. He was also named outstanding athlete of the Games.

In 1985 Spitz opened the games, lighting a torch along with three children of Israeli Olympians murdered at the Munich Olympics.

In 2005, he was chosen to be the flag bearer for the U.S. delegation to the 17th Maccabiah Games.

Retirement and attempted comeback:

Still only aged 22, Spitz retired from swimming after the Munich Games. His management tried to get him into show business while his name was still hot. In 1973-4, Spitz appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and TV series such as The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour and Emergency! as paramedic Pete Barlow. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences considered hiring him as an Oscars host (despite the fact he hadn't made any films), and there was even talk Spitz might become the next James Bond (the role went to Roger Moore instead). But Spitz was clearly uncomfortable on camera, and he quickly ended his foray into show business.

He and some friends were successful in property development.

Then, at age 41, Spitz attempted to make a comeback in an attempt to qualify for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, after film maker Bud Greenspan offered to pay him a million dollars if he succeeded in qualifying. Filmed by Greenspan's cameras, Spitz failed to beat the qualifying limit, despite the fact his times were nearly as good as (and in some cases better than) his medal-winning times 20 years earlier.[citation needed]. But the sport had moved on during the intervening years and Spitz was well out of it.

November 8,2007 Amanda Beard will be making her first-ever appearance in a television commercial this weekend. Along with Beard and her own seven medals, the commercial features a cameo appearance by Mark Spitz, winner of seven gold medals at the 1972 Olympic Games.

Miscellaneous:

Spitz and his wife, Suzy (née Weiner), both Jewish, have been married since 1973, and have two sons, Matthew (b. 1981) and Justin (b. 1991).

Chemist E. H. Bronner maintained that Spitz was a prophet. He is mentioned in Bronner's fifth MORAL ABC which appears on each bottle of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap.

Whatever unites mankind is better than whatever divides us! Yet, if absolute-unselfish I am not for me, I'm nothing but classless raceless, starving masses, never free nor brave! Only if constructive-selfish I work hard perfecting first me, like Mark Spitz - Arctic owls - penguin - pilot - cat - swallow - beaver, bee can I teach the MORAL ABC's ALL-ONE-GOD-FAITH, that lightning-like unites the Human race! For we're ALL-ONE OR NONE! ALL-ONE! 'listen children eternal father eternally one!' EXCEPTIONS ETERNALLY? ABSOLUTE NONE!

In 1999, Spitz ranked #33 on ESPN SportsCentury 50 Greatest Athletes, the only aquatic athlete to make the list.

Olympic Games:

Gold 1968 Mexico City 4x100 m freestyle relay
Gold 1968 Mexico City 4x200 m freestyle relay
Gold 1972 Munich 100 m butterfly
Gold 1972 Munich 100 m freestyle
Gold 1972 Munich 200 m butterfly
Gold 1972 Munich 200 m freestyle
Gold 1972 Munich 4x100 m freestyle relay
Gold 1972 Munich 4x100 m medley relay
Gold 1972 Munich 4x200 m freestyle relay
Silver 1968 Mexico City 100 m butterfly
Bronze 1968 Mexico City 100 m freestyle

Pan American Games:

Gold 1967 Winnipeg Swimming
Gold 1967 Winnipeg Swimming
Gold 1967 Winnipeg Swimming
Gold 1967 Winnipeg Swimming
Gold 1967 Winnipeg Swimming

Maccabiah Games:

Gold 1965 Israel Swimming
Gold 1965 Israel Swimming
Gold 1965 Israel Swimming
Gold 1965 Israel Swimming
Gold 1969 Israel Swimming
Gold 1969 Israel Swimming
Gold 1969 Israel Swimming
Gold 1969 Israel Swimming
Gold 1969 Israel Swimming
Gold 1969 Israel Swimming