David Erwin Larson (born June 25, 1959) is an American former competition swimmer who is an Olympic gold medalist and former world record-holder. Larson is a

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

native who became an All-American college swimmer for the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

. He was known for his success as a member of American relay teams in international competition at the Pan American Games and the Olympics – and for setting two world records in the 4×200-meter relay event on the same day at the 1984 Olympics.

Early years

Larson was born in the small town of

Jesup, Georgia Jesup is a city in Wayne County, Georgia, United States. The population was 9,809 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Wayne County. History By February 1869, Willis Clary had begun building a two-story hotel near the junction o ...

in 1959.databaseOlympics.com, Athletes
David Larson
. Retrieved July 11, 2015.Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes

Retrieved July 11, 2015. He started swimming as an age-group competitor in 1963. Gator Great David Larson's 1984 Olympic Triumph Revisited
" GatorZone.com (August 8, 2013). Retrieved July 11, 2015. He attended the

Bolles School The Bolles School is an American private college preparatory day and boarding school in Jacksonville, Florida. It has a lower school (including pre-kindergarten), a middle school, and a high school, spread across four campuses around the Jackson ...

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, where he swam for the Bolles high school swim team.The Bolles School, Athletics
Bolles Olympic Medalists
. Retrieved July 11, 2015. He graduated from Bolles in 1977.

College swimming career

Larson accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the

in Gainesville, Florida, where he swam for the

Florida Gators swimming and diving The Florida Gators swimming and diving program represents the University of Florida in the aquatics sports of swimming and diving. The program includes separate men's and women's teams, both of which compete in Division I of the National Coll ...

team in

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 ...

(NCAA) and

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...

(SEC) competition under coach Randy Reese from 1978 to 1981.
Florida Swimming & Diving 2014–15 Media Supplement
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 78, 79, 81, 84, 87, 101 (2014). Retrieved July 11, 2015. Larson won two NCAA championships at Florida in the 800-yard freestyle relay (1979, 1981), setting American and NCAA records in the process. He finished second in the 200-yard freestyle to

Rowdy Gaines Ambrose "Rowdy" Gaines IV (born February 17, 1959) is an American former competitive swimmer, U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame member, three-time Olympic gold medalist, and member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. He is a swimming analyst for ...

of Auburn in 1981, but then out-swam Gaines on the final leg of the 800-yard freestyle relay to claim the NCAA championship in the event. Larson earned twenty-one All-American honors and was national record holder in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Larson graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in sociology in 1987, and was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."

International swimming career

Larson was first selected for the U.S. national swim team for the

1979 Pan American Games The 1979 Pan American Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Panamericanos de 1979''), officially the VIII Pan American Games were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization, and were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from July 1 to July 15 ...

held in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In what would become a regular match-up, Larson earned a silver medal in the men's 200-meter freestyle for his second-place finish (1:52.24) behind American teammate Rowdy Gaines (1:51.22). Two days later, Larson and Gaines combined with fellow Americans

Brian Goodell Brian Stuart Goodell (born April 2, 1959) is an American politician, former competitive swimmer, two-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in two events. He is a city councilman and former mayor of Mission Viejo, California. Car ...

and Kris Kirchner to win a Pan American Games gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay (7:31.28). He qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team in 1980, as a member of the U.S. team in the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay, but was unable to compete because of the United States-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow. After completing his college career in 1981, Larson was tired of swimming and quit, only to return to competition a year later because he missed the focus. Larson continued his training with the program that coach Randy Reese had created for post-college swimmers in Gainesville, Florida. At the

1983 Pan American Games The 1983 Pan American Games were held in Caracas, Venezuela from August 14 to August 29, 1983. The games were the first major international competition to include relatively accurate steroid testing.Taylor, William N., ''Anabolic Steroids and the ...

in Caracas, Venezuela, he again won a gold medal as a member of the winning U.S. team in the men's 200-meter freestyle relay, together with Richard Saeger, Bruce Hayes and Rowdy Gaines (7:23.63). Larson represented the United States 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 sec ...

in Los Angeles. In the preliminary heats of the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay, he and U.S. teammates

Geoff Gaberino Geoffrey Steven Gaberino (born July 18, 1962) is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, and former world record-holder. Gaberino was a member of two national championship college teams and a four-time college national ch ...

, Hayes and Saeger set a new world record of 7:18.87.Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Swimming at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games
Men's 4 × 200 metres Freestyle Relay Round One
Retrieved July 11, 2015.Associated Press,
Add 3 / U.S. gold total at 9
" ''The Indiana Gazette'', p. 14 (July 31, 1984). Retrieved July 11, 2015. But the new record was short-lived. Later that same afternoon, Larson won the gold medal in the event final of the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, together with his American teammates

Mike Heath Michael Thomas Heath (born February 5, 1955) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the New York Yankees (1978), Oakland Athletics (1979–1985), St. Louis Cardinals (1986 ...

Jeff Float Jeffrey James Float is a former American competitive swimmer, world record holder, world champion and Olympic gold medalist. He qualified for the 1980 USA Olympic Swimming Team in three individual events, but could not participate when the United ...

and Hayes, by defeating the Michael Gross-anchored West German team by four one-hundredths (0.04) of a second, and setting yet another new world record of 7:15.69 in the process.Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Swimming at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games
Men's 4 × 200 metres Freestyle Relay Final
Retrieved July 11, 2015.Knight News Service,
U.S. Swimmers Set World Relay Mark
" ''The Toledo Blade'', p. 18 (July 31, 1984). Retrieved July 11, 2015.Frank Litsky,

" ''The New York Times'' (July 31, 1984). Retrieved July 11, 2015. The American media dubbed the four swimmers the "Gross Busters," a play on the title of the popular 1984 movie ''

Ghostbusters ''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, thr ...

''. In the aftermath of the 1984 Olympics, Larson retired from competitive swimming at the age of 25.Associated Press,
Former Gator swimmer struck by Olympic patriotism
" ''The Gainesville Sun'', p. 3E (August 26, 1984). Retrieved July 11, 2015.

Life after swimming

After the post-Olympic national celebrations, Larson was offered an opportunity to work in sports marketing in New York City. His early professional career involved dealings with agents, creating event sponsorships, and negotiating athlete contracts. He spent the next decade working in sports marketing, then in television. He worked with NBC on its Olympic broadcasts, including the 2005 Winter Games. Larson and his wife Kitty, a Miami lawyer, have a son.

World records

Men's 4×200-meter medley relay

References

Bibliography

*Caraccioli, Jerry, & Tom Caraccioli, ''Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games'', New Chapter Press, Washington, D.C. (2009). . *De George, Matthew,
Pooling Talent: Swimming's Greatest Teams
', Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, Maryland (2014). .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Larson, David 1959 births Living people American male freestyle swimmers Florida Gators men's swimmers World record setters in swimming Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming People from Jesup, Georgia Swimmers at the 1979 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 1983 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 1984 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in swimming Bolles School alumni Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games