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'''Mark Andrew Spitz''' (born [[February 10]], [[1950]]) is a two-time [[United States|American]] Olympic [[swimming|swimmer]] and the only Olympian to win a gold medal in each event he entered ''and'' to establish a new world record in each such event as well. Between 1968 and 1972, Spitz won nine Olympic gold medals, one silver, and one bronze; five Pan American golds; 31 National U.S. Amateur Athletic Union titles; and eight U.S. National Collegiate
'''Mark Andrew Spitz''' (born [[February 10]], [[1950]]) is a two-time [[United States|American]] Olympic [[swimming|swimmer]]. Between 1968 and 1972, Spitz won nine Olympic gold medals, one silver, and one bronze; five Pan American golds; 31 National U.S. Amateur Athletic Union titles; and eight U.S. National Collegiate
Athletic Association Championships. During those years, he set 33 world records.<ref>[http://www.jewishsports.net/BioPages/MarkSpitz.htm International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame]</ref> He was named World Swimmer of the Year in 1969, 1971 and 1972.
Athletic Association Championships. During those years, he set 33 world records.<ref>[http://www.jewishsports.net/BioPages/MarkSpitz.htm International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame]</ref> He was named World Swimmer of the Year in 1969, 1971 and 1972.


Revision as of 15:13, 16 August 2008

Mark Spitz
Spitz in July 2008.
Personal information
Full nameMark Andrew Spitz
Nationality United States
Sport
SportSwimming
Strokesfreestyle, butterfly
College teamIndiana Hoosiers (1968-1972)
Medal record
Men’s swimming
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1972 Munich 100 m butterfly
Gold medal – first place 1972 Munich 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1972 Munich 200 m butterfly
Gold medal – first place 1972 Munich 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1972 Munich 4x100 m freestyle relay
Gold medal – first place 1972 Munich 4x100 m medley relay
Gold medal – first place 1972 Munich 4x200 m freestyle relay
Gold medal – first place 1968 Mexico City 4x100 m freestyle relay
Gold medal – first place 1968 Mexico City 4x200 m freestyle relay
Silver medal – second place 1968 Mexico City 100 m butterfly
Bronze medal – third place 1968 Mexico City 100 m freestyle
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1967 Winnipeg Swimming
Gold medal – first place 1967 Winnipeg Swimming
Gold medal – first place 1967 Winnipeg Swimming
Gold medal – first place 1967 Winnipeg Swimming
Gold medal – first place 1967 Winnipeg Swimming
Maccabiah Games
Gold medal – first place 1965 Israel Swimming
Gold medal – first place 1965 Israel Swimming
Gold medal – first place 1965 Israel Swimming
Gold medal – first place 1965 Israel Swimming
Gold medal – first place 1969 Israel Swimming
Gold medal – first place 1969 Israel Swimming
Gold medal – first place 1969 Israel Swimming
Gold medal – first place 1969 Israel Swimming
Gold medal – first place 1969 Israel Swimming
Gold medal – first place 1969 Israel Swimming

Mark Andrew Spitz (born February 10, 1950) is a two-time American Olympic swimmer. Between 1968 and 1972, Spitz won nine Olympic gold medals, one silver, and one bronze; five Pan American golds; 31 National U.S. Amateur Athletic Union titles; and eight U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association Championships. During those years, he set 33 world records.[1] He was named World Swimmer of the Year in 1969, 1971 and 1972.

Swimming career

Spitz was born in Modesto, California, the first child [2]of Arnold and Lenore Spitz, a Jewish family.[3] When he was two years old, Spitz's family moved to Gridley, where he learned to swim. Spitz swam at Waikiki Beach every day. "You should have seen that little boy dash into the ocean. He'd run like he was trying to commit suicide." Lenore Spitz told a reporter for TIME (April 12, 1968).[4] 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, his family moved to Santa Clara so Spitz could train with George Haines of the Santa Clara Swim Club. From 1964 to 1968 Mark trained with Haines at SCSC and Santa Clara High School. During his four years there, Mark held national high school records in every stroke and in every distance. It was a remarkable and unprecedented achievement. In 1966, at 16, he won the 100 meter butterfly at the National AAU Championships, the first of his 24 AAU titles. The following year, 1967 Mark set his first world record at a small California meet, in the 400 meter freestyle, with a time of 4:10.60, and emerged on the world swimming stage.[5]

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.[6]

He returned to Israel in 1969, following the Mexico Olympics, to again compete in the Maccabiah. This time he won six gold medals.[7] He was again named outstanding athlete of the Games.[8]

In 1985, Spitz lit a torch to open the games.[9]

In 2005, he was a member of the U.S. delegation at the 17th Maccabiah Games, held in Richmond, Virginia at the Weinstein JCC.

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.

1968 Olympics

Holder of 10 world records already[citation needed], Spitz predicted brashly he would win six 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 that year.[10] Russell did briefly match Spitz's world record in late August of 1967, holding the world record equally with Spitz for five days before Spitz regained it solely on October 2 1967. As a result of being beaten by Russell, Spitz did not get to swim in the 4 x 100 m Medley Relay which gave Russell his second Gold medal and the USA team another World Record swim. He also finished third in the 100 m freestyle at the same games.

College training

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. 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. Spitz also set a number of world records during the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials held in Chicago's Portage Park in 1972.

He was nicknamed "Mark the Shark" by his teammates.

1972 Olympics

At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich (West Germany), Spitz was back to maintain his bid for the six gold medals. He did even more, winning a record seven Olympic gold medals. Further, Spitz set a new world record in each of the seven events (the 100 m freestyle, 200 m freestyle, 100 m butterfly, 200 m butterfly, 4 x 100 m freestyle relay, 4 x 200 m freestyle relay and the 4 x 100 m medley relay). Originally Spitz was reluctant to swim the 100m freestyle fearing a less than gold medal finish. Minutes before the race he confessed on the pool deck to ABC's Donna de Varona , "I know I say I don't want to swim before every event but this time I'm serious. If I swim six and win six, I'll be a hero. If I swim seven and win six, I'll be a failure." Spitz won by half a stroke in a world-record 51.22.[11]

His participation in the 1972 Munich Olympic games gained him a bit of notoriety as he swam with a mustache, whereas most competitors opt to shave their entire bodies.[12]

Spitz is one of four Olympians to win nine career gold medals, together with Larissa Latynina, Paavo Nurmi and Carl Lewis.[13] Only swimmer Michael Phelps has won more with 13. Spitz's record of winning 7 gold medals in one Olympic was not equalled until 2008 by Michael Phelps at the Beijing Olympics.

Spitz was evacuated from Munich when 11 athletes and officials from Israel's Olympic team were kidnapped and later killed by Palestinian terrorists. Officials were worried that Spitz might be targeted because of his Jewish heritage. He had already finished his competition.

Retirement and attempted comeback

Following the Munich Olympics, even though he was still only 22, Spitz retired from competition.

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

Hall of Fame

Film and television career

After his retirement at age 22, his management tried to get him into show business while his name was still hot. In 1973–74, 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. Spitz went to work for ABC Sports in 1976 and worked on many sports presentations, including coverage of the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal and the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.[21] In 1985 he appeared as a TV announcer in Challenge of a Lifetime. In 1998 he appeared in a TV commercial for Sony PlayStation—however, Spitz was clearly uncomfortable on camera, and he mostly had occasional bit spots in shows and commercials.[22] His lackluster acting performances soon led to a cessation of movie and TV offers.[23] He continued as a broadcaster for some time, but within a few years, he had all but vanished as a public figure.[24]

In 2006 he received critical praise for his narration of Freedom's Fury, a Hungarian documentary about the Olympic water polo team's famous Blood in the Water match against Russia during the Revolution of 1956—considered the most famous match in water polo history. The film was executive produced by Quentin Tarantino and Lucy Liu, and made its debut at the Tribeca Film Festival.

In November 2007, Spitz made a cameo appearance on Amanda Beard's first television commercial (for GoDaddy) featuring her own seven Olympic medals (won between 1996–2004).

In a live, in-studio interview with KCRA host Mike TeSelle on June 14, 2008, Spitz commented that he no longer maintains his iconic mustache because it had become "too gray."

Personal life

Family life

Despite worldwide female admiration, when Spitz returned from the Olympics he called and began dating the daughter of one of his father's business acquaintances after seeing her picture. [25] Less than a year after Munich, Spitz and Suzy Weiner, a UCLA theater student and part-time model, were married on May 6th, 1973.[26] They have two sons: Matthew (b. October, 1981) and Justin (b. September, 1991).[27][28]

Schooling

From 1964 to 1968 Mark attended the Santa Clara High School. After graduating he went on to Indiana University.

At Indiana University from 1968-72, he was a pre-dental student and member of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity. Time Magazine asked him if he wanted to return to dental school after the Olympics. "I always wanted to be a dentist from the time I was in high school, and I was accepted to dental school in the spring of 1972. I was planning to go, but after the Olympics there were other opportunities. I did some television and speaking engagements, and things just went from there."[12]

According to the Indiana University School of Dentistry, Mark Spitz was planning on attending in the fall of 1972, but instead he moved to California. He was quoted in the Chicago Tribune in June, 2004 saying, “I’m probably the most famous dentist who never became a dentist in the world.”

Job and career

Soon after his return to the U.S., Spitz landed several lucrative corporate endorsement contracts. He earned about $7 million in a two-year period.[29] He bought a Ferrari and says he made more than $1 million when he started a very successful real-estate company in Beverly Hills. [23] "A million dollars in 1972 would be equivalent to more than $10 million today," Spitz said. "I did very well, thank you very much." [30] "I would say I was a pioneer, There wasn't anyone who'd gone to the Olympics before me who capitalized the same way on opportunity. It depends on timing, it depends on hype, it depends on the economy, and most importantly, it depends on looks. I mean, I've never seen a magazine of uglies. That's our society. I'm not saying it's right. That's just the facts." [31]

Per his official Web site, Spitz is currently self-employed as a corporate spokesperson and motivational speaker. However, Sports Yahoo! lists his occupation as a stock broker and motivational speaker.[32] According to a recent interview "Spitz became a stockbroker in 2002 and has since moved into private equity. He is now also dabbling in the "water business," as he calls it, and is in negotiations to build a water-bottling facility on aquifer-rich land that he and a business partner own.[33]

He has pursued various entrepreneurial projects with former NBA player Rick Barry. He travels the world delivering about 25 lectures a year, and has just written a memoir, "The Extraordinary Life of An Olympic Champion."[34]

Hobbies

His hobbies include sailing, skiing and collecting art.[35] He has been involved in blue water ocean racing (sailing) and in the summer of 1981 competed in his third Trans-Pac Yacht Race from Los Angeles to Hawaii, finishing third.[36]

People always asked Spitz, "Do you still swim?" Remarkably, the answer most of the time was "no." [37]

Iconic mustache during Olympics

In an era when other swimmers, male and female were shaving body hair, he swam with a mustache. When asked why he initially grew one he stated "I grew the mustache because a coach in college said I couldn't grow one. "[12] Spitz said he originally grew the mustache as a form of rebellion against the clean-cut look imposed on him in college. “It took a long time to grow,” he said.[38] It took four months to grow, but Spitz was proud of it, he decided the mustache was a "good-luck piece."[39]

Mark Spitz is quoted as saying, "When I went to the Olympics, I had every intention of shaving the mustache off, but I realized I was getting so many comments about it--and everybody was talking about it--that I decided to keep it. I had some fun with a Russian coach who asked me if my mustache slowed me down. I said, No, as a matter of fact, it deflects water away from my mouth, allows my rear end to rise and make me bullet shaped in the water, and that's what had allowed me to swim so great. He's translating as fast as he can for the other coaches, and the following year every Russian male swimmer had a mustache."[40]

When he was asked why he shaved it off he responded "well, one - I'm not swimming anymore, two - it started to turn gray, and three - my wife had never seen me, nor my family, without the mustache... I'm happy [without it]."[41]

Health issues

"During my Olympic training, I attributed the symptoms [of acid reflux] to an overexposure to chlorine and eating too soon before and after swimming," says Spitz. "It wasn't until the symptoms began to get in the way of my 1976 Olympic broadcasting career in Montreal, which was four years after retirement that I suspected something more serious must be happening."

After retirement, Spitz was officially diagnosed with acid reflux disease, a condition his physician thinks he suffered from throughout his career. The most common symptoms of acid reflux disease include persistent heartburn on two or more days a week, a sour or bitter taste in the mouth and difficulty swallowing.[42]

He has also reported, like many other Americans, he has high cholesterol and other chronic health issues.[43] "People don't believe that I have high cholesterol, but it's a fact," said Spitz. "I take medication every day because my doctor told me that diet and exercise are not enough to keep my cholesterol down"[44]

He also suffers from occasional kidney stones.[45]

Issues with 2008 Summer Olympics

According to a report released by Agence France Presse (AFP) wire service, Spitz felt snubbed about not being asked to attend the 2008 Olympics to watch Michael Phelps attempt to break his record of seven gold medals. In the article, he is quoted as saying, "I never got invited. You don't go to the Olympics just to say, I am going to go. Especially because of who I am....I am going to sit there and watch Michael Phelps break my record anonymously? That's almost demeaning to me. It is not almost—it is."[32] Spitz also says he could have won 8 gold medals if given the chance. "I won seven events. If they had the 50m freestyle back then, which they do now, I probably would have won that too," he said. And Spitz thinks Phelps will succeed, "he's almost identical to me. He's a world-record holder in all these events, so he is dominating the events just like I did," Spitz said. "He reminds me of myself."[32] Other than to pose for an odd picture with Phelps, Spitz does not have much interaction with the superstar. "He's not sitting down with me asking for advice," he said.[33]

Although Spitz has stated that he has no hard feelings towards Phelps, he is unhappy that he was not invited to the Olympics. As a result, Spitz has refused to attend the games.[46] "They voted me one of the top five Olympians in all time. Some of them are dead. But they invited the other ones to go to the Olympics, but not me," he said. "Yes, I am a bit upset about it."[47]

However, on August 14, 2008 Spitz appeared on NBC's Today Show where he clarified his statement and his pride in Michael Phelps:

It’s about time that somebody else takes the throne. And I’m very happy for him. I really, truly am...I was working with a corporate sponsor who elected not to bring their US contingent over to China, and they piled on more work for me here in the United States, which was great. So I wasn't able to get to the Olympics and watch Michael in the first couple of days. And they thought, some of these reporters, that I was supposed to be invited by some entity, and I told them that that wasn't really the case, that doesn't happen that way. And so, I'm sort of disappointed that I wasn't there, but, you know, that interview somehow took a different turn, and I've done hundreds and hundreds of them and I've been true to form about the way I feel about Michael, and he's doing a great job for the United States and inspiring a lot of great performances by the other team members.

— Mark Spitz[48]

Also on August 14, 2008, in an interview aired on Los Angeles KNBC-4's morning news show, Today in L.A., Spitz was quoted saying he does believe that, "Michael Phelps is the greatest Olympic athlete ever."[49]

On August 15, 2008, as part of an interview on NBC, Spitz was quoted as saying that he felt Phelps' performance in the 100 fly in Beijing was "epic". Spitz also graciously complimented Phelps just two hours after his record-tying seventh gold medal in a live joint interview with Bob Costas:

You know, Bob and Michael, I wondered what I was going to say at this monumental time, when it would happen and who I would say it to, and of course I thought I was going to say it to you for some time now. But, it's the word that comes to mind, "epic". What you did tonight was epic, and it was epic for the whole world to see how great you really are. I never thought for one moment that you were out of that race and contention, because I watched you at Athens win the race by similar margins, and 18 months ago at the World's by similar margins. And, you know, that is a tribute to your greatness. And now the whole world knows. We are so proud of you Michael here in America, and we are so proud of you and the way that you handle yourself, and you represent such an inspiration to all the youngsters around the world. You know, you weren't born when I did what I did, and I'm sure that I was a part of your inspiration, and I take that as a full compliment. And they say that you judge one's character by the company you keep, and I'm happy to keep company with you. And you have a tremendous responsibility for all those people that you are going to inspire over the next number of years, and I know that you will wear the crown well. Congratulations, Mike.

— Mark Spitz speaking to Michael Phelps from Detroit, during a live Bob Costas interview on August 15, 2008[50]

Medal stand incident

Following the 200-meter freestyle race in 1972, while on the medal stand, Spitz arrived barefoot, carrying his shoes. He dropped them to the side while "The Star Spangled Banner" played. Then he reached down to pick up his shoes and waved them to the cheering crowd. The Soviets accused him of blatant commercialism. Spitz maintains the gesture was innocent, the shoes were old and he was not paid. Spitz was cleared by an IOC committee in late 1972.[51]

References

  1. ^ International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
  2. ^ http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Spitz.html
  3. ^ http://www.nndb.com/people/148/000023079/
  4. ^ http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Spitz.html
  5. ^ http://www.santaclaraswimclub.org/alumni/spitzUpdate.html
  6. ^ Mark Spitz Jewish Virtual Library
  7. ^ Mark Spitz - "Swimming Isn't Everything"
  8. ^ Great Jewish Men By Elinor Slater, Robert Slater
  9. ^ Maccabiah Games Jewish Virtual Library
  10. ^ International Olympic Committee - Athletes
  11. ^ Moore, K. "Bionic Man." Sports Illustrated. October 23, 1989. Accessed August 13, 2008
  12. ^ a b c TIME, August 16, 2004. Alice Park. 10 Questions For Mark Spitz
  13. ^ Wallechinsky, David (2008). The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition. Aurum Press. pp. page 702. ISBN 978-1-84513-330-6. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ http://www.ishof.org/
  15. ^ http://www.jewishsports.net/BioPages/MarkSpitz.htm
  16. ^ http://www.usolympichalloffame.com/?page_id=46
  17. ^ http://www.santaclaraswimclub.org/alumni/spitzUpdate.html
  18. ^ http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1171894488677&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
  19. ^ http://athletics.lbcc.edu/athletichome/athletics101107.cfm
  20. ^ http://www.indiana.edu/~phipsi/alumni.php?sortby=lname
  21. ^ http://www.panasonic.com/olympics2004/sptiz_bio.html
  22. ^ Mark Spitz imdb profile
  23. ^ a b Biography: Mark Spitz
  24. ^ http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016480.html
  25. ^ http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016480.html
  26. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0819156/bio
  27. ^ http://www.nndb.com/people/148/000023079/
  28. ^ http://www.panasonic.com/olympics2004/sptiz_bio.html
  29. ^ http://www.answers.com/topic/mark-spitz
  30. ^ http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/03/26/sports/AS-SPT-SWM-Worlds-Mark-Spitz.php?page=1
  31. ^ http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/sports.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-07-27-0133.html
  32. ^ a b c Spitz, once the star, upset over Beijing snub
  33. ^ a b Catching up with Mark Spitz
  34. ^ Reuters, August 2, 2008. Dean Goodman. Mark Spitz makes splash about Beijing invite. Accessed 2008-08-16.
  35. ^ http://www.rediff.com/sports/2004/aug/10oly-swim1.htm
  36. ^ http://www.panasonic.com/olympics2004/sptiz_bio.html
  37. ^ http://espn.go.com/classic/biography/s/spitz_mark.html
  38. ^ http://blogs.mercurynews.com/pizarro/2007/11/18/mark-spitz-reveals-the-story-behind-his-mustache/
  39. ^ http://sports.jrank.org/pages/4524/Spitz-Mark-Glory-Days.html
  40. ^ http://www.healthline.com/blogs/exercise_fitness/labels/performance%20enhancing%20modality.html
  41. ^ http://www.amny.com/sports/am-spitz0716,0,2248638.story?track=rss
  42. ^ http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/11653.php
  43. ^ http://www.tourofchampions.com/athletes/spitz/overview/
  44. ^ http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/15897.asp
  45. ^ http://www.healthmonitor.com/newslinenotes/heartcare/mark-spitz-still-making-a-splash.html
  46. ^ http://www.mahalo.com/Mark_Spitz
  47. ^ http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hLnTiMa1nwi9qHodVSMCWbP2WBdQ
  48. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26194898/
  49. ^ http://video.knbc.com/player/?id=285272
  50. ^ "XXIX Summer Olympics, NBC, interview with Bob Costas, August 15, 2008
  51. ^ http://espn.go.com/classic/biography/s/spitz_mark.html
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mark Spitz.
Records
Preceded by Men's 100 metre freestyle
world record holder (long course)
23 August 1970 – 21 June 1975 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Men's 200 metre freestyle
world record holder (long course)
12 July 1969 – 23 August 1974 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Men's 100 metre butterfly
world record holder (long course)
July 31, 1967 – August 27, 1977

Note: Held Jointly with Doug Russell August 29 & October 2 1967

Succeeded by
Preceded by Men's 200 metre butterfly
world record holder (long course)
July 26, 1967 – August 30, 1967 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Men's 200 metre butterfly
world record holder (long course)
October 8, 1967 – August 22, 1970 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Men's 200 metre butterfly
world record holder (long course)
August 27, 1971 – August 31, 1971 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Men's 200 metre butterfly
world record holder (long course)
August 2, 1972 – June 3, 1976 		Succeeded by
Awards
Preceded by Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year
1972 		Succeeded by
Preceded by James E. Sullivan Award
1971 		Succeeded by



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