Don McKenzie (swimmer)
![]() McKenzie wearing 1968 Olympic gold medals | ||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Donald Ward McKenzie Jr. | |||||||||||||||||
Nickname | "Don" | |||||||||||||||||
National team | United States | |||||||||||||||||
Born | (1947-05-11)May 11, 1947 Hollywood, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||
Died | December 3, 2008(2008-12-03) (aged 61) Reno, Nevada, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | |||||||||||||||||
Weight | 176 lb (80 kg) | |||||||||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||
Strokes | Breaststroke | |||||||||||||||||
Club | Bloomington Swim Club | |||||||||||||||||
College team | Indiana University | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Donald Ward McKenzie Jr. (May 11, 1947 – December 3, 2008) was an American competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder.[1][2]
Swimming career
McKenzie attended Indiana University, where he swam for coach Doc Counsilman's Indiana Hoosiers swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition during the late 1960s. He won an individual NCAA national championship in the 100-yard breaststroke while swimming for the Hoosiers.[3]
He competed at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, where he received a gold medal for winning the men's 100-meter breaststroke. He won a second gold medal as a member of the winning U.S. team in the men's 4×100-meter medley relay. The first-place team of Charlie Hickcox, McKenzie, Doug Russell and Ken Walsh set a new world-record time of 3:54.9 in the event final.[4]
McKenzie was inducted as an "Honor Swimmer" into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1989.[5] In 2000, he was inducted into the Indiana University Hall of Fame.[6] He was also inducted posthumously into the Los Angeles Valley College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.[7]
McKenzie continued to swim after the Olympics. He became a Masters swimmer with the Sierra Nevada Masters and held the men's 50–54 age group 100-yard national breaststroke record with a 1:01.02 in 1998. His record stood until 2010.[8]
Personal life
As the president of Practice Management Services, he created and supported computer software and systems for medical, dental, and small businesses. He was a real estate investor, counselor, and licensee with Remcor in Reno.[9] He enjoyed the Sierra Nevada Masters and the Pacific Masters Swimming groups as well as golfing, skiing, target shooting, wood working, and racing cars.
Don was diagnosed with a Stage IV brain tumor (a glioblastoma) in the summer of 2007.[10] He died on December 3, 2008, due to complications resulting from his brain tumor and was survived by his father and mother, Don and Clarice McKenzie; wife, Syd McKenzie; children, Amy, Ryan and (Andrea), Anne, Emily, and Amanda McKenzie; new granddaughter, Naomi Mackenzie; siblings, Bob and (Kathy) McKenzie and Suzanne and (Steve) Wortman, and a loving family of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws and friends.[9]
See also
- List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
- List of Indiana University (Bloomington) people
- List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
- World record progression 4 × 100 metres medley relay
References
- ^ "Passages: U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist Don McKenzie, 61". SwimmingWorldMagazine.com. December 10, 2008. Archived from the original on August 25, 2012.
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Don McKenzie". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012.
- ^ "Indiana University Archives". Archived from the original on October 2, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
- ^ "1968 Olympics – Mexico City, Mexico – Swimming". databaseOlympics.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2008. Retrieved May 1, 2008.
- ^ "Don McKenzie". ISHOF.org. International Swimming Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on April 11, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
- ^ Honoree: Search Awards: University Honors & Awards: Indiana University[dead link]
- ^ http://www.lavcfoundation.org/pdf/HOF-NewsLetterSpring2011.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "USMS Short Course Yard Nationals: National Records Fall In Bunches". Swimming World News. May 23, 2010. Archived from the original on November 18, 2013.
- ^ a b Don W. McKenzie Jr. Obituary: View Don McKenzie's Obituary by Reno Gazette-Journal
- ^ "Glioblastoma". American Brain Tumor Association. Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
External links
- Don McKenzie at the International Swimming Hall of Fame
- Don McKenzie at Olympics.com
- Don McKenzie at Olympedia
- v
- t
- e
- Larry Barbiere
- Brent Berk
- Greg Buckingham
- Mike Burton
- John Ferris
- Gary Hall
- Charlie Hickcox
- Jack Horsley
- Mitch Ivey
- Chet Jastremski
- Brian Job
- David Johnson
- William Johnson
- John Kinsella
- Philip Long
- Don McKenzie
- Ken Merten
- Ronnie Mills
- John Nelson
- David Perkowski
- Stephen Rerych
- Carl Robie
- Doug Russell
- Don Schollander
- Andy Strenk
- Mark Spitz
- Ross Wales
- Michael Wall
- Ken Walsh
- Zac Zorn
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Swimming_pictogram.svg/50px-Swimming_pictogram.svg.png)
- Sherman Chavoor (women's head coach)
- Frank Elm (assistant)
- Don Gambril (assistant)
- George Haines (men's head coach)
- Bill Lippman, Jr. (manager)
- Olive Mucha (assistant)
- Edwin Olson (assistant)
- Kenneth Treadway (manager)