Rutgers University Athletics

Men's Swimming & Diving History

The Rutgers men’s swimming and diving team has produced seven Olympians since James Reilly competed for the United States in the 1908 and 1912 Summer Olympics. The program was home to legendary coach Frank Elm, an American Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee. From 1916 to 1968, the Rutgers men’s swimming and diving team claimed six national championships and recorded 27 All-America performances.

Scarlet Letter

1910-11	1911-12	1912-13	1913-14	1914-15	1915-16	1916-17	1917-18	1918-19	1919-20
1920-21	1921-22	1922-23	1923-24	1924-25	1925-26	1926-27	1927-28	1928-29	1929-30
1930-31	1931-32	1932-33	1933-34	1934-35	1935-36	1936-37	1937-38	1938-39	1939-40
1940-41	1941-42	1942-43	1943-44	1944-45	1945-46	1946-47	1947-48	1948-49	1949-50
1950-51	1951-52	1952-53	1953-54	1954-55	1955-56	1956-57	1957-58	1958-59	1959-60
1960-61	1961-62	1962-63	1963-64	1964-65	1965-66	1966-67	1967-68	1968-69	1969-70
1970-71	1971-72	1972-73	1973-74	1974-75	1975-76	1976-77	1977-78	1978-79	1979-80
1980-81	1981-82	1982-83	1983-84	1984-85	1985-86	1986-87	1987-88	1988-89	1989-90

HISTORY

Rutgers swimming began in 1915 upon the completion of the Ballantine Gym with a $30,000 donation by Mrs. Ballantine for a pool addition. The pool was dedicated March 10, 1915 with a “gala” meet starring National Champion, world record holder and two-time Olympian (1908 and 1912) James Reilly (1997 Rutgers Olympic Sports Hall of Fame Inductee). Reilly was promptly hired as the “swim instructor” and four decades of excellence began. Reilly also presided over the new Eastern Collegiate Swimming Association from 1920 until 1927, with Rutgers compiling a record of 48 wins and only nine losses. Leo Geibel (‘23), also an AAU Champion, won the 220 free in the National Intercollegiates and set intercollegiate records in the 150 backstroke and 440 free.

George Kojac (‘31) continued his national and world record-setting performances on campus and off. He represented the U.S. in the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam, winning gold medals in the 100 backstroke and 800 free relay. He won the 100 free title at the 1931 NCAAs and combined with Bill Marquette (‘30) and John Dryfuss (‘32) for a world record in the 300 medley relay.

The Ballantine Gym was destroyed by a fire in the early morning of Jan. 30, 1930, necessitating construction of a new facility. “Borrowed” sites such as the New Brunswick YMCA and Princeton University were used for swimming until the College Avenue Gym opened on March 11, 1932, with a huge “Aquatic Carnival.”

In the 1930s, Walter Spence (‘34), a 1997 Rutgers Olympic Sports Hall of Fame inductee, began his career “On the Banks.” Spence was an AAU Champion and a Canadian Olympian. He won the 100 free in three consecutive NCAA Championships and combined with Walt Ashley (‘35), Ted Brick (‘34) and Norm Kramer (‘33) for a winning freestyle relay in the 1933 NCAAs. The 1930-33 teams boasted an overall record of 21-4. Later, Rutgers hosted the 1938 NCAA Championships at the “state of the art” College Avenue facility.

From 1940-42 the Scarlet Knights registered a 22-6 record. The teams were led by AAU champ Chuck Gantner (‘44) who used the “new” breaststroke technique that eventually became the butterfly in 1954. Gantner was an Eastern Champion, National Champion and one-time world record holder.

1946-1956 saw continued successes with the teams recording an overall record of 64 wins against only nine losses. All-American Bob Nugent (‘52), a 1997 Olympic Sports Hall of Fame inductee, epitomized the era. Earning First Team All-American honors in ‘49, ‘50 and ‘51, Nugent was 1948 Eastern Champion in the 100 free, and an NCAA finalist in both 1950 and 1951. Reilly left Rutgers with an enviable record of 240 wins and 92 losses. His teams recorded five undefeated seasons, 12 seasons of only one loss and an overall .722 winning percentage. He was a recognized leader in the sport, having coached Olympians and world record holders during his long tenure at Rutgers. Riley was inducted into the Rutgers Olympic Sports Hall of Fame.
 
Head coach Otto Hill led the Rutgers men from 1957-1961.

 

Frank Elm was appointed head coach in 1961 after Otto Hill was promoted to Athletic Business Administrator. Elm came to Rutgers as a successful AAU Coach, New Jersey Interscholastic Champion, All-American from Indiana University and swimmer-coach in the Marine Corps. From 1961-72 the Scarlet Knights enjoyed 11-straight winning seasons, with an overall 79-42 record. The creation of the Eastern Seaboard Championships in 1965 brought the Scarlet Knights to a new level. Swimmers Bill Clark (‘63), Larry Jones and John Wasylyk (64), Don Galluzzi and Marty Flickenger (‘65), and diver Roy Nichols (‘64) (Eastern Champion and NCAA top-eight finisher) were the top performers. In 1968, Rutgers was fourth in the prestigious Easterns with top six performances by Bob Chenaux (‘66), in the 1650, Dave Feigley (‘66) in diving, All-American sprinters Bruce Ball (‘67) and Dick Woodrow (‘66), and Peter Hibbard (‘67), Eastern Champion in diving. Rutgers’ success in the Easterns continued with John Hannan (‘68) scoring in the 1650, 500, and 200 fly while Jim Rose (‘67), Elliot Cheneaux (‘68), Jim Parkinson (‘70), Jose Ferraioli (‘69), Dave Helming (‘71) and divers Peter Leitner (‘70) and Ted Doeing (‘72) contributed to the team’s efforts. Ferraioli and the Cheneaux brothers represented their native Puerto Rico in Olympic competition. Gregg Anderson ‘70 (Rutgers Olympic Sports Hall of Fame Inductee) was the leading point-scorer for the Scarlet Knights in the late 60s. He was named All-American in both 1968 and 1969 in the 200 backstroke and won three Eastern Championships while qualifying to compete in the NCAA's.