Education
University of Alabama.
University of Alabama.
Backhaus represented the United States as a 17-year-old at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. He also received a bronze medal third for finishing in the 100-meter butterfly. He also worked as a coach at Konawaena High School.
He graduated from Redlands High School in Redlands, California.
He won a bronze medal for his third-place performance in the men"s 200-meter butterfly, finishing with a time of 2:03.23 behind Mark Spitz and Gary Hall, and completing an American sweep of the event. At the 1973 World Aquatics Championships in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, he won gold medals for his first-place finish in the 200-meter butterfly, and as a member of the winning United States. team in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay.
