Background

Mark Spitz was born on February 10, 1960, in Modesto, California, United States, to Arnold and Lenore Spitz. He is the first of three children in his family.

Education

Spitz's family relocated to Hawaii when Spitz was two years old. There Spitz's father taught Spitz how to swim. When Spitz was six years old, the family moved back to California, settling this time in Sacramento. At the Sacramento YMCA, Spitz began to train in competitive swimming for the first time. Sensing that Spitz had surpassed the training available at the YMCA, Arnold Spitz took his son to the Arden Hills Swim Club, where he began to train under Sherm Chavoor, a well-known swim instructor. Chavoor was to remain a mentor to Spitz throughout his career.

Spitz's father was a driving force behind Spitz's swimming career, drilling into his son the maxim, "Swimming isn't everything; winning is." Spitz took his father's advice to heart; by the time he was ten years old, he held 17 national swimming records for his age group and one world record. He also earned the title of the world's top swimmer in the 10-and-under age group.

When Spitz was 14 years old, his father realized that his son was ready for a new level in his training. He decided to move the family to Santa Clara so that Spitz could train under a new coach, George Haines, who was based at the famous Santa Clara Swim Club. There Mark attended Santa Clara High School. This move increased Spitz's father's commute to work to 80 miles each way, but he wanted more than anything else for his son to become the best swimmer he could.

The move paid off. Spitz continued to reach new levels of excellence in swimming, including in the butterfly stroke. This stroke, considered by many to be the most difficult stroke in swimming, became Spitz's favorite. When Spitz was 16 years old, he won the 100-meter butterfly title at the National Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Championships. It was only the first of 24 AAU titles he would win during his career.

After graduating from high school Mark went on to Indiana University, where he was a pre-dental student.

Career

The year 1967 saw Spitz's rise to international prominence. That year he won no less than five gold medals at the Pan-American Games, held in Winnipeg, Canada. These were for the 100-meter butterfly, the 200-meter butterfly, the 400-meter freestyle relay, the 800-meter freestyle relay, and the 400-meter medley relay.

Spitz seemed perfectly poised to sweep the 1968 Olympics, held that year in Mexico City. He boasted that he would win six gold medals there. While he did shine at the Olympics, he fell short of the goals that he had set for himself, winning two gold medals in team events - for the 4 x 100 and 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay events. He also won two medals for individual events - a silver medal for the 100-meter butterfly and a bronze for the 100-meter freestyle event.

Spitz was disappointed in his showing at the Olympics and he vowed to try harder. He knew that physically he had what it took to win gold at the Olympics; what he needed to work on was his mental preparation. He began to develop a cool demeanor, an attitude of relaxed concentration that was in marked contrast to the boastful air he had assumed in the 1968 Olympics. Following the 1968 Olympics, Spitz entered college at Indiana University, where he trained with famous swimming coach Doc Counsilman.

In his freshman year, he won the 200-meter and the 500-meter freestyle, as well as the 100-meter butterfly competition at the NCAA swimming championships. He also won the 100-meter butterfly competition at the NCAA championships the following year. The year after that, 1971, he again won the NCAA championship in the 100-meter butterfly, as well as the 200-meter butterfly.

Spitz graduated from Indiana University in 1972, just in time for the 1972 Olympics, held in Munich, West Germany. This time, he vowed to take home no less than seven gold medals. And he did. Spitz swept the swimming events exactly as he promised to do, collecting his seventh gold medal on September 4, 1972. No other athlete had ever taken home that many gold medals at a single Olympics. He won gold medals for four individual events and three team events. His first win was for the 200-meter butterfly. Next, he won the 200-meter freestyle, followed by the 100-meter butterfly. This last event was Spitz's favorite, and he won it by a full body length, reaching the finish in just 54.27 seconds. Spitz's final gold medal-winning performance in the individual competition was for the 100-meter freestyle event.

In addition to his four individual gold medals, Spitz also won three gold medals for relay races. These were for the 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay, the 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay, and the 4 x 100-meter medley relay. With each gold medal-winning performance Spitz, then just 22, set a new world record for performance. He won all of his gold medals over a period of eight days.

Mark returned home to the United States a major celebrity, comparable in stature to Charles Lindbergh, the first person to fly nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean. He was also called by some the second most recognized person in the United States, after then-president Richard Nixon. Spitz canceled his plans to become a dentist and looked forward to making a career as a corporate spokesperson.

Soon after his return to the United States, Spitz landed several lucrative corporate endorsement contracts. He earned about $7 million in a two-year period, and, helped by his photogenic looks, established himself as a well-known corporate spokesperson. Companies and organizations for which he endorsed products included the Schick Company, the California Milk Advisory Board, Adidas, Speedo, and many more. A photograph of Spitz wearing a swimsuit and his seven gold medals was made into a poster, and it quickly became a best seller.

Spitz's bid to become a Hollywood star was less successful than either his swimming career or his career as a corporate spokesperson; viewers were highly critical of his performances in television commercials and shows, which included a Bob Hope special, the Sonny & Cher show, and the Johnny Carson show. He managed to maintain a presence as a sports commentator for a few years, but after that, he largely dropped out of the public eye.

Still, Spitz now had plenty of money, and he took up sailing as a hobby. Eventually, he started a real estate agency in Beverly Hills, California. The business proved successful and it gave a thriving new career to the former swimming champion.

As the 1980s drew to a close, Spitz decided to come out of retirement and become an Olympic swimmer for the first time since 1972. In 1989, now 39 years old, Spitz began to train for the 1992 Olympic Trials. This decision was not completely out of the blue; in 1984, he had raced against Rowdy Gaines, who at the time held the world record time for the 100-meter butterfly - and beat him. After two years of training, Spitz was ready to attempt to qualify for the 1992 Olympics. In 1991, he raced against Tom Jager and Matt Biondi, both Olympic swimmers. The races, two separate 50-meter butterfly races, were televised on ABC's "Wide World of Sports." Unfortunately, Spitz lost both races. He also fell just over two seconds short of the qualifying time of 55:59 he needed to rejoin the United States Olympic swim team.

Currently, according to his official website, Spitz is self-employed as a corporate spokesperson and motivational speaker. In 2002, he became a stockbroker and has since moved into private equity. He is also in negotiations to build a water-bottling facility on aquifer-rich land that he and a business partner own.

Achievements

• 

  Spitz is one of the greatest swimmers of all time. In his competitive career, he set thirty-two world records and, in two Olympics, he won nine gold medals, one silver, and one bronze. He suffered the defeat and humiliation of the Mexico City Olympics and worked for the next four years to redeem himself. His victories in Munich became part of Olympic legend.
  
  Mark was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame, International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, United States Olympic Hall of Fame, Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, San Jose Sports Hall of Fame, National Jewish Museum Sports Hall of Fame, Long Beach City College Hall of Fame, and Indiana University Athletics Hall of Fame.
  
  Spitz is also a recipient of the James E. Sullivan Award. In 1999, he ranked No. 33 on ESPN SportsCentury 50 Greatest Athletes. He was the only aquatic athlete to make the list.
  
  Also, Spitz was named World Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine in 1969, 1971, and 1972.

Works

More photos

• TV series

  • Emergency!

    (The crew of Los Angeles County Fire Department Station 51...)

    1972

Views

Mark Spitz has criticized FINA and the IOC for their incomplete attempts to keep drugs out of the sport. According to him, these organizations didn't take enough action to monitor and encourage drug-free participation. He also said the IOC had the technology to test for a plethora of drugs but was refusing to do so because of some IOC member protests.

Quotations: "If you fail to prepare, you're prepared to fail."

"I just tried to keep my cool and continue with my race plan: to win."

"Swimming isn't everything, winning is."

"Everyone loves to be loved."

"We all love to win, but how many people love to train?"

"The only side effect of too much training is that you get into better shape. There is nothing wrong with that."

"I swam my brains out."

"Life is true to form; records are meant to be broken."

"In everyday life there is always manana. There is no urgency."

"Past performance speaks a tremendous amount about one's ability and likelihood for success."

"It has nothing to do with swimming. That happens to be my sport. I'm trying to see how far I can go."

"My biggest loss was the Olympics. I just can't forget losing. I never will."

"I'm trying to do the best I can. I'm not concerned with tomorrow, but with what goes on today."

Membership

Mark Spitz was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.

Personality

According to Mark Spitz, he grew the mustache as a form of rebellion against the clean-cut look imposed on him in college.

Physical Characteristics: At six feet tall and weighing 170 pounds, Spitz was in shape. Resembling the actor Omar Sharif, he looked good. Unlike other swimmers who shaved their heads for competitions, Spitz kept his hair and his mustache for good luck.

After retirement, Spitz was diagnosed with acid reflux disease. He also has high cholesterol and other chronic health issues.

Interests

• collecting art

• Sport & Clubs

  sailing, skiing

Connections

Mark Spitz married Suzy Weiner, a part-time model, on May 6, 1973. They have two sons - Matthew and Justin.

Father:

Arnold Spitz

(1925 - 2004)

Mother:

Lenore Spitz

(1929 - 2017)

Spouse:

Suzy Weiner

coach:

George Haines

(March 9, 1924 - May 1, 2006)

George Haines was a swimmer and swimming coach who coached at the Santa Clara Swim Club, Stanford University and UCLA. He also coached for seven United States Olympic swim teams.

Son:

Matthew Spitz

(born October 1981)

Son:

Justin Spitz

(born September 1991)

colleague:

Rick Barry

(born March 28, 1944)

Rick Barry is an American retired professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA).

coach:

Doc Counsilman

(December 28, 1920 - January 4, 2004)

James Counsilman, better known as Doc Counsilman, was an Olympic and hall-of-fame swimming coach from the United States. He is perhaps best known for being the head swimming coach at Indiana University from 1957 to 1990.

References

• Mark Spitz: The Extraordinary Life of an Olympic Champion Mark Spitz is arguably the most famous and successful Olympic athlete of all time because of his legendary performances at the 1972 Olympics, where he won seven gold medals while breaking seven world records. His amazing life story is told for the first time in the authorized biography Mark Spitz: The Extraordinary Life of an Olympic Champion.
  2008
• Mark Spitz's Facebook
• Mark Spitz's Instagram
• Mark Spitz's Official Website