Keith Cawthon Converse (September 12, 1957 – August 8, 2024) was an American college swimming coach and competition swimmer. He was one of the United States' pre-eminent distance swimmers during the 1970s, competing at the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...

and setting a pair of

NCAA 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 ...

records while swimming for the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a mem ...

swim team at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

, coached by

Don Gambril Donald Lee Gambril (born January 2, 1934) is an American former swimming coach. He was the 1984 U.S. Olympic Coach and Assistant U.S. Olympic Coach in 1968, 1972, 1976, and 1980. Gambril coached many well-known Olympic swimmers, such as Mark Spit ...

. On March 26, 1977, he set an NCAA record and became the first man in swimming history to break the 15-minute barrier in the mile on his way to winning the 1,650-yard freestyle when he clocked 14:57.30 at the NCAA Championships in Cleveland, Ohio. Converse also set the NCAA record in the 1,000-yard freestyle during a dual meet at Auburn University. Prior to his record-shattering performances in 1977, Converse swam as a member of the 1976 U.S. Olympic Team as an 18-year-old, placing ninth in the men's 400-meter freestyle. He was the head swimming coach at the Air Force Academy from 1988-2017. From 1988-1996 he was the head coach for both the men's and women's teams. During this time, the men's team went from last in the

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington (state), Washington, and Texa ...

to second, and the women made AFA history by winning two

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

championships in a row (1995 & 1996). In 1997, Converse moved his focus to the women's team as they changed from DII to

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

. Converse retired from coaching in 2017 as the winningest coach in AFA history. Converse was also the author of ''Munich to Montreal: Olympic Swimming in a Tarnished Golden Era'', a book that explores the East German doping scandal in 1970 women's swimming, and the American women who fought against it. While writing, Converse worked as a consultant for

The Last Gold ''The Last Gold'' is a 2016 film about American swimmers Shirley Babashoff, Kim Peyton, Jill Sterkel, and Wendy Boglioli and winning a gold medal in a relay at the 1976 Olympic Games, defeating the East Germans. Cast *Shirley Babashoff *Kim Peyto ...

, a documentary produced by

USA Swimming USA Swimming is the national governing body for competitive swimming in the United States. It is charged with selecting the United States Olympic Swimming team and any other teams that officially represent the United States, as well as the overal ...

to tell the same story. Converse was selected as one of th
top 100 college swim coaches in the last 100 years
by th
College Swimming & Diving Coaches of America
Converse died from cancer in

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

, on August 8, 2024, at the age of 66.

References

Sources

# The 2011 University of Alabama Swimming and Diving Media Guide # The 2010 Air Force Academy Athletics Website
Swimming World Magazine

External links

* http://www.rolltide.com

– Air Force Academy coach profile {{DEFAULTSORT:Converse, Casey 1957 births 2024 deaths Air Force Falcons swimming coaches Alabama Crimson Tide men's swimmers American male freestyle swimmers Olympic swimmers for the United States Sportspeople from Topeka, Kansas Swimmers at the 1976 Summer Olympics