James Edward "Doc" Counsilman (December 28, 1920 – January 4, 2004)
Published by ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' on 2004-01-05; retrieved 2010-03-29. was an Olympic and hall-of-fame
swimming
Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...
coach from the United States. He was the head swimming coach at
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universit ...
(IU) from 1957 to 1990.
[2009-10 Men's Swimming Media Guide](_blank)
p.123, from the IU Hoosiers website; retrieved 2011-02-02. He served as head coach for the USA's Olympic swim teams for
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...
and
1976
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 Phila ...
; and was inducted as an Honors Coach 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 1976.
Early career
Counsilman was born in
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...
, but grew up and learned to swim in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
.
More about Doc page
' from the ''Doc Counsilman: Making Waves'' page of the WTIU
WTIU, virtual channel 30 (UHF digital channel 33), is a Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) member television station serving Indianapolis, Indiana, United States that is licensed to Bloomington. Owned by Indiana University, it is a siste ...
; retrieved 2011-02-02. He swam collegiately for
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 ...
under coach Mike Peppe, and while in college set world-records in the 50 and 300 yard breaststrokes.
During World War II, Counsilman served in the
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
in Italy as a
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...
pilot with the
455th Bomb Group of the
Fifteenth Air Force
The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Force ...
.
Post Ohio State, Counsilman went on to earn a master's degree at the University of Illinois (1947), where he also served as an assistant coach, before pursuing a doctorate degree in physiology from the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...
where he was also the assistant coach under David Armbruster(1948-1951).
[Counsilman's bio](_blank)
from the SUNY Cortland
The State University of New York College at Cortland (SUNY Cortland or Cortland State College) is a public college in Cortland, New York. It was founded in 1868 and is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system.
History
The State Un ...
Hall of Fame; published in 2005, retrieved 2011-02-02. It was at the Iowa that Counsilman coached his first two Olympians-
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, Olym ...
and
Bowen Stassforth
Bowen Dow Stassforth (August 7, 1926 – November 22, 2019) was an American competition swimmer who won a silver medal in the 200 m breaststroke at the 1952 Olympics and set two world records in the 200-yard (long course) breaststroke. and one ...
. Following award of his doctorate, the now-dubbed "Doc" began teaching and coaching at
Cortland State University Cortland may refer to:
Places In space
* 27776 Cortland, an asteroid
United States
* Cortland, Illinois, a town
* Cortland, Indiana, an unincorporated community
* Cortland, Nebraska, a village
* Cortland, New York, a city
* Cortland, Ohio, a c ...
, where he stayed from 1952 to 1957, before beginning his career at Indiana University.
While at Cortland State, he coached freshman
George Breen
George Thomas Breen (July 19, 1935 – November 9, 2019) was an American competition swimmer, four-time Olympic medalist, and world record-holder in three events. After retiring as a swimmer, he became a coach at Jersey Wahoos Swim Club in New ...
in 1953. Breen was molded by Counsilman into a standout athlete, and broke the world record for the 1500 meter freestyle. Breen, qualifying for the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, set another world record in the 1500 meter freestyle with a time of 17:52.9 during the preliminaries, but was unable to match the time in the finals and received only a Bronze medal.
Once at Indiana University, he continued to train Breen for the 1500, an event for which he would receive a second bronze medal in the 1960 Olympics in Rome. Ultimately, Counsilman was credited with molding Breen into one of the finest Olympic distance swimmers in United States history.
Tenure at IU (1957–1990)
At IU, Counsilman coached the men's team to 6 consecutive
NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships
The NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships are annual college championship events in the United States.
The meets take place in a 25-yard pool, except for the Division I meets in 2000 and 2004 which were swum in a 25-meter competi ...
(1968–1973), and 20 consecutive (1961–1980) and 23 total Big Ten Conference titles.
While at IU, Doc coached over 60 Olympic swimmers, including
Mark Spitz
Mark Andrew Spitz (born February 10, 1950) is an American former competitive swimmer and nine-time Olympic champion. He was the most successful athlete at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, winning seven gold medals, each in world-record ti ...
.
He served as the Men's Head Coach of the USA's swimming team at the
1964 Olympics 1964 Olympics refers to both:
*The 1964 Winter Olympics
The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games (german: IX. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1964 ( bar, Innschbruck 1964, label=Austro-Ba ...
(where the USA men won 9-of-11 events) and at
1976 Olympics (USA men won 12-of-13 events).
In 1961, he was named Coach of the Year by the
American Swimming Coaches Association The American Swimming Coaches Association, or ASCA, is a professional organization for Swimming coaches in the USA. It was founded in 1958 and is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
ASCA provides education opportunities for swimming coaches, includi ...
.
In 1964, he led the Indiana team to its sixth straight USA national championships (
AAU at the time).
In 1979, at the age of 58, he briefly became the oldest person to swim the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
.
Swimmers who swam for Counsilman include:
Jim Montgomery,
Gary Hall,
John Kinsella,
Mike Troy
Michael Francis Troy (October 3, 1940 – August 3, 2019) was an American competitive swimmer, a two-time Olympic champion, and world record-holder in three events.
The peak of Troy's swimming career occurred between 1959 and 1960 while he was ...
,
Charlie Hickcox
Charles Buchanan Hickcox (February 6, 1947 – June 14, 2010) was an American competition swimmer, three-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in six events.
Career
Hickcox was born in Phoenix, Arizona. He attended Indiana Uni ...
,
Larry Barbiere,
Don McKenzie,
Chet Jastremski
Chester Andrew Jastremski (January 12, 1941 – May 3, 2014) was an American competition swimmer, Olympic medalist and world record-holder.
Jastremski attended Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, where he swam for Doc Counsilman's India ...
,
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, Olym ...
,
Bowen Stassforth
Bowen Dow Stassforth (August 7, 1926 – November 22, 2019) was an American competition swimmer who won a silver medal in the 200 m breaststroke at the 1952 Olympics and set two world records in the 200-yard (long course) breaststroke. and one ...
,
Tom Stock,
George Breen
George Thomas Breen (July 19, 1935 – November 9, 2019) was an American competition swimmer, four-time Olympic medalist, and world record-holder in three events. After retiring as a swimmer, he became a coach at Jersey Wahoos Swim Club in New ...
,
Mike Stamm
Michael Eugene Stamm (born August 6, 1952) is an American former backstroke swimmer who earned a gold medal as a member of the winning U.S. team in the men's 4×100-meter medley relay at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. At the 1972 O ...
,
Alan Somers
Alan Brounell Somers (born July 30, 1941) is an American former competition swimmer and world record-holder who represented the United States at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome Somers competed in the men's 400-meter freestyle, finishing fifth ...
,
Ted Stickles,
John Murphy,
Bill Heiss,
Fred Tyler
Frederick Daniel Tyler (born March 15, 1954) is an American competitive swimming (sport), swimmer and aquatics coach, winner of several high school and college championships and a gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay at the 1972 Summe ...
, John Waldman, Tom Hickcox, and
Mark Spitz
Mark Andrew Spitz (born February 10, 1950) is an American former competitive swimmer and nine-time Olympic champion. He was the most successful athlete at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, winning seven gold medals, each in world-record ti ...
.
Post IU
Doc Counsilman is known as one of the greatest swimming coaches of all time. He was also an innovator in the sport, pioneering underwater filming, and even watching swimmers underwater, as can be seen in Royer Pool at Indiana University today. He was also the instigator of
hypoventilation training
Hypoventilation training is a physical training method in which periods of exercise with reduced breathing frequency are interspersed with periods with normal breathing. The hypoventilation technique consists of short breath holdings and can be p ...
, a training method which consists of swimming with reduced breathing frequency.
Counsilman died in Bloomington, Indiana, in 2004, after suffering from
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...
.
He has been inducted into various Hall of Fames, including: 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 ...
(1976), Ohio State Varsity "O" Hall of Fame (1988), IU Athletics (2001), the
American Swimming Coaches Association The American Swimming Coaches Association, or ASCA, is a professional organization for Swimming coaches in the USA. It was founded in 1958 and is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
ASCA provides education opportunities for swimming coaches, includi ...
Counsilman's entry
from the American Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Fame subpage; retrieved 2011-02-02. and SUNY Cortland (2005).
See also
* List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
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 a ...
* List of Ohio State University people
This is a list of Ohio State University people of whom have some significant affiliation with the school. Individuals listed may have only attended the university at one point and not necessarily have graduated. Currently there are nearly 500,000 ...
References
Bibliography
* ''The Science of Swimming'', by James E. Counsilman, Prentice Hall, Juni 1968,
* ''The Complete Book of Swimming '', by James E. Counsilman, Atheneum, 1977,
* ''Competitive Swimming Manual for Coaches and Swimmers'', by James E. Counsilman, Counsilman Co., 1977,
* ''The New Science of Swimming'', by James E. Counsilman and Brian E. Counsilman, Prentice Hall, April 1994,
External links
Counsilman Center for the Science of Swimming
– Official website
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Counsilman, James
2004 deaths
American swimming coaches
College swimming coaches in the United States
Neurological disease deaths in Indiana
Deaths from Parkinson's disease
Indiana Hoosiers swimming coaches
Ohio State Buckeyes men's swimmers
Sportspeople from Birmingham, Alabama
United States Army Air Forces bomber pilots of World War II
American expatriates in Italy