Bruce D. Kimball (born June 11, 1963) is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
diver and coach. He won a silver medal for the 10 meter platform at the
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...
.
Kimball was born in
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...
. His father is
Dick Kimball
Dick Kimball (born c. 1935) is an American former diving champion and diving coach at the University of Michigan. He was the NCAA springboard champion in 1957 and the Professional World Diving champion in 1963. He coached the University of Mich ...
, who coached nine divers to Olympic medals. His brother is punk rock drummer
Jim Kimball
Jim Kimball is an American punk drummer. His former bands include noise-punk band Laughing Hyenas, Mule, and The Jesus Lizard, as well as The Denison/Kimball Trio (which contains only Kimball and fellow ex-Jesus Lizard Duane Denison). Kimball a ...
.
In October 1981, Kimball was struck head-on by a drunken driver. Every bone in his face was fractured, his left leg broken, the ligaments in his knee torn, his liver was lacerated, he had a depressed skull fracture and his spleen had to be removed. When he returned to diving in the summer of 1982, he made the World Championships on platform and earned a bronze medal as well as the nickname "The Comeback Kid."
At the 1984 Summer Olympics, he overtook
Li Kongzheng with his final dive to win the silver medal, placing behind fellow American
Greg Louganis.
On August 1, 1988, two weeks before the U.S. Olympic diving trials, Kimball, drunk, plowed into a crowd of teenagers while driving an estimated , killing two boys and severely injuring four others.
Despite the tragedy, Kimball took part in the trials, but failed to make the team.
He subsequently pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular manslaughter and was sentenced to seventeen years in prison. He was released on November 24, 1993, after serving less than five years.
As a part of his sentence, his driving privileges were “permanently” revoked by Judge
Harry Coe, and were reinstated in 2018.
Kimball is a Kinetic Wellness teacher and diving coach for the swimming and diving teams at
New Trier High School
New Trier High School (, also known as New Trier Township High School or NTHS) is a public four-year high school, with its main campus for sophomores through seniors located in Winnetka, Illinois, United States, and a campus in Northfield, Illinoi ...
in
Winnetka, Illinois
Winnetka () is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located north of downtown Chicago. The population was 12,316 as of 2019. The village is one of the wealthiest places in the nation in terms of household income. It was the second- ...
.
As of 2008, he is married and has three children.
References
"Sincerely, Bruce D. Kimball" ''St Petersburg Times'', by Susan Taylor Martin, July 27, 2003.
"Kimball, who killed two teens, can get driver's license again" CBS Sports Online, December 22, 2004.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kimball, Bruce
1963 births
Living people
Divers at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Sportspeople from Ann Arbor, Michigan
Olympic silver medalists for the United States in diving
American male divers
Pan American Games medalists in diving
Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics
World Aquatics Championships medalists in diving
Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States
Divers at the 1983 Pan American Games
Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games
Sportspeople convicted of crimes