William Melvin Smith Jr. (May 16, 1924 – February 8, 2013) was an American former competition

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

, two-time Olympic champion, and a former world record-holder in four events. He was one of the most successful competitive swimmers in the United States in the first half of the 20th century. Smith was born in

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

, of mixed Irish and Hawaiian ancestry. He attended

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

, and competed for the

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree ...

swimming and diving team within the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA). As a college swimmer, he was undefeated in three years of dual meet competition, and was a four-time All-American. He set seven world records and won fourteen U.S. national championships: seven NCAA, six AAU indoor and one AAU outdoor. At the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...

in London, England, Smith won gold medals in the 400-meter freestyle and 4×200-meter freestyle relay.Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes
Bill Smith
Retrieved October 4, 2012. At one time, Smith held all of the world records in freestyle swimming events between 200 and 1,000 meters. At the US Olympic trials of the 1948 4x200-meter freestyle relay, several swimmers who had already qualified in other events slowed down in their heats or swam fast in the prelims and scratched themselves for the final to allow more swimmers to qualify for the US Olympic Team. Smith was one of the instigators of this "conspiracy". Ultimately, coach Robert Kiphuth did hold a time trial shortly after the actual trials with eleven of the swimmers. This time trial had

Jimmy McLane James Price McLane Jr. (September 13, 1930 – December 13, 2020) was an American competition swimmer, three-time Olympic champion, and a world record-holder. Biography Representing the United States at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, Engla ...

as first overall with a time of 2:11.0, Bill Smith, and

Wally Wolf Wallace "Wally" Perry Wolf Jr. (October 2, 1930 – March 12, 1997) was an American competition swimmer, water polo player, and Olympic champion. He competed in the 1948, 1952, 1956, and 1960 Summer Olympics. Personal Wolf was born in Los A ...

in 2:11.2, and

Wally Ris Walter Steven Ris (January 4, 1924 – December 25, 1989) was an American competition swimmer, two-time Olympic champion, and world record-holder. Ris won two gold medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, England.Sports-Reference.com, Olymp ...

in 2:12.4. This quartet was used for the Olympic final and won the gold medal. The next four-

Eugene Rogers Eugene Roy Rogers (February 17, 1924 – December 30, 2017) was an American competition swimmer who represented the United States at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London.Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes Eugene Rogers Retrieved Januar ...

in 2:14.2, Edwin Gilbert in 2:15.4, Robert Gibe in 2:15.6, and William Dudley in 2:15.9, were used in the Olympic prelims. The next three swimmers-

Joe Verdeur Joseph Thomas Verdeur (March 7, 1926 – August 6, 1991) was an American competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder. Career Verdeur was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He had a sister, Theresa, and a brother, Edwa ...

who came in 2:16.3, Alan Ford in 2;16.4 and George Hoogerhyde in 2:17.4 were not used in any capacity in the 4x200 freestyle relay. After retiring from competitions Smith became captain of the surf guards at Waikiki Beach, coached swimmers at the

University of Hawaii A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

, and served as safety director for the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation for 25 years. He also coached masters swimmers at the Kamehameha Swim Club. Smith was inducted into the

International Swimming Hall of Fame The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum (ISHOF) is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests and serving as the central point for the stu ...

in 1966. In 2001 he was named Ohio State University's swimmer of the century by the Columbus Touchdown Club. He died February 8, 2013; he was 88 years old.Dave Reardon (February 13, 2013)
"Quick Reads: Hawaii swimming legend Bill Smith passes
," ''Honolulu Star-Advertiser''. Retrieved March 14, 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Bill 1924 births 2013 deaths American male freestyle swimmers World record setters in swimming Ohio State Buckeyes men's swimmers Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming Sportspeople from Hawaii Swimmers at the 1948 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics Swimmers from Hawaii Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine swimming coaches

See also

References