Art Adamson
Born Arthur Douglas Adamson in England on February 23, 1905, Art’s illustrious amateur swimming career began after his family moved to New Zealand. As a teen, he set long-standing swimming records in the 100-yard (0:57.20), 100-meter (1:03.40), and 220-yard freestyle distances. His polo career also began in New Zealand, where he played for the Witemata (Auckland) and Pirates (Napier) clubs and in his free time became a renowned deep-sea diver and a champion open water swimmer... [Full Bio]
Alfred "Red" Barr
Alfred “Red” Barr was Southern Methodist University’s first swimming coach (1946), winning 17 consecutive Southwest Conference titles (1953-1970). He coached 57 individual all-Americans. After coaching, he was appointed chairman of the NCAA rules committee, on which he served 19 years. [Full Bio]
Skippy Browning
David Greig "Skippy" Browning Jr. was born in Boston in 1931. His family moved to Corpus Christi when he was three, and Skippy started diving at the age of four. Not long after, his family relocated to Dallas and in 1941 Skippy entered his first competition. Over his career, he won eight AAU springboard titles for the Dallas Athletic Club. After one semester at Wayne State University, he transferred to The University of Texas at Austin, where he was a three-year all-American and NCAA champion... [Full Bio]
Hank Chapman
Hank Chapman was a University of Texas all-American diver and coach from 1951-1972. He coached 20 NCAA all-Americans and was appointed the diving coach for the 1964 U.S. Olympic Team. He dedicated himself to teaching physical education and swimming at UT and in Austin for almost 50 years. [Full Bio]
Eddie Gilbert
An Austin native who learned to swim in Barton Springs, Gilbert was the 1946 and 1947 high school state champion and record holder in the 100 freestyle. He won the 1948 AAU national championship in the 200 freestyle, earning a spot on the 1948 Olympic team and was on the 800 freestyle relay that won the gold medal in Helsinki, Finland. [Full Bio]
Jane Dillard Hanger
Jane learned to swim in the Trinity River at age three. She came to Austin in 1938 to train with Tex Robertson’s star swimmers and set the American and world records in the 100 breaststroke. She earned a spot on the 1940 Olympic team for the canceled Tokyo Olympics. She turned professional and performed in aquatic shows alongside Buster Crabbe... [Full Bio]
Wally Hoffrichter
A University of Texas all-American, Wally Hoffrichter was a member of the 1936 U.S. Olympic Water Polo Team. He was the first president of both the Texas Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association and TAGS, and was a longtime promoter and coach of Dallas-area aquatics. He coached aquatic stars at the Dallas Athletic Club and Brookhaven Country Club to state, national and Olympic championships. [Full Bio]
Adolph Kiefer
Adolph Kiefer came to the University of Texas after winning a gold in the 1936 Olympics. He owned every backstroke and three-stroke IM world record for 15 years. He left Austin to become the officer in charge of all swimming operations with the U.S. Navy during World War II. He started the world’s largest swim supply company, Adolph Kiefer and Associates, and has invented numerous products that revolutionized competitive swimming. [Full Bio]
Roy E. & Lillie McGall Kneip
Roy was a veteran aquatic enthusiast (lifeguard, summer camp waterfront director and water safety director for the American Red Cross), teaching swimming and training lifeguards and swim instructors for more than 35 years. After training his wife, Lillie, to be a water safety instructor, they worked together passionately volunteering many years with the ARC "Learn-to-Swim" programs and the national and local AAU in the competitive swimming arena... [Full Bio]
Carl Loock
Carl Loock is known as the 'pioneer of Texas diving'. He was an AAU champion in 1945. A longtime swimming and diving promoter and coach in the Fort Worth area, he was instrumental in the creation of TAGS. His divers have won state, national and international competitions. He, along with wife Edith, was honored for decades of service teaching swimming, lifeguarding and water safety in Texas. [Full Bio]
Ronnie Mills
A Fort Worth native, Mills swam for Don Easterling at the Burford Swim Club, earning a spot on the 1968 Olympic Team and a bronze medal in the 100-meter backstroke. He was a three-time all-American at Southern Methodist University. [Full Bio]
Tex Robertson
Julian “Tex” Robertson was born in Sweetwater, Texas, in 1909. At the age of 13, Tex learned to swim in a flooded creek and practiced in a horse trough, and the next year won his first race. In 1926 he was a YMCA national champion and represented the U.S. Water Polo Team in the 1932 Olympics. From 1933 to 1935 he set new collegiate and AAU records while winning individual and team national championships for the University of Michigan... [Full Bio]
Doug Russell
Doug was a TAGS, AAU, NCAA and Olympic champion from Midland. He overtook Mark Spitz in the last few meters of the 1968 100-meter butterfly final to become the first true Texan to win an individual Olympic gold medal. He starred for the University of Texas at Arlington under Coach Don Easterling. [Full Bio]
