Frank Edward McKinney Jr. (November 3, 1938 – September 11, 1992) was an American competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder. He later became a prominent executive in the American banking industry, but died in a mid-air collision of two aircraft. McKinney was the son of Frank E. McKinney, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee and a former owner of the National League's Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball. He was the youngest member of a U.S. national swim team which set a world record in the 4×100-meter medley relay at the 1955 Pan American Games. At the Pan American Games, the 16-year-old high school student also won a gold medal in the 100-meter backstroke. Born in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

, he did the most to introduce modern backstroke techniques. Following

Yoshi Oyakawa Yoshinobu Oyakawa (born August 9, 1933) is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in the 100-meter backstroke. Oyakawa is considered to be the last of the great "straight-arm-pull" backstrokers ...

as the premier U.S. backstroker, McKinney was the pioneer of the modern bent-arm backstrokers, even as Oyakawa had been the last of the straight-arm school. McKinney was the leader of a remarkable group of teenagers who won the U.S. Nationals for the Indianapolis Athletic Club alongside

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 ...

, Bill Barton, Bill Cass and Alan Somers. Later, they would all swim for the

Indiana Hoosiers The Indiana Hoosiers are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of Indiana University Bloomington, named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Indiana. The Hoosiers participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Ath ...

swimming and diving team under coach Doc Counsilman 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 Universi ...

. McKinney captured a bronze medal in the men's 100-meter backstroke at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia,Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes
Frank McKinney
. Retrieved October 10, 2012. then afterward entered Indiana University. At the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

in Rome, Italy, he received a silver medal for his second-place finish in the men's 100-meter backstroke. He also won a gold medal by swimming the lead-off backstroke leg for the first-place U.S. team in the men's 4×100-meter medley relay. McKinney retired from competition after graduating from Indiana University in 1961, and went into banking. He was the president of

Bank One Bank One Corporation was an American bank founded in 1968 and at its peak the sixth-largest bank in the United States. It traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the stock symbol ONE. The company merged with JPMorgan Chase & Co. on July 1, ...

of Indiana (previously

American Fletcher National Bank American Fletcher National Bank was an Indianapolis-based bank founded in 1839 that was eventually absorbed by Bank One and later Chase Bank. Since the merger of the Fletcher Trust Company with the American National Bank to form the American Flet ...

), headquartered in Indianapolis when he died, aged 53, in a

mid-air collision In aviation, a mid-air collision is an accident in which two or more aircraft come into unplanned contact during flight. Owing to the relatively high velocities involved and the likelihood of subsequent impact with the ground or sea, very sever ...

between two aircraft in 1992. As part of the merger, he also became president of the Columbus, Ohio-based parent company,

Banc One Corporation Bank One Corporation was an American bank founded in 1968 and at its peak the sixth-largest bank in the United States. It traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the stock symbol ONE. The company merged with JPMorgan Chase & Co. on July 1, ...

, while still serving as the chief executive officer of the Indiana subsidiary.Link
via

ProQuest ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...

. McKinney was traveling to Columbus, Ohio, with 3 other civic leaders, who were also killed along with the pilots of both aircraft. He is buried in

Crown Hill Cemetery Crown Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located at 700 West 38th Street in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana. The privately owned cemetery was established in 1863 at Strawberry Hill, whose summit was renamed "The Crown", a high point ...

in Indianapolis.

References

External links

*
Frank McKinney (USA)
– Honor Swimmer profile at International Swimming Hall of Fame {{DEFAULTSORT:McKinney, Frank 1938 births 1992 deaths American bankers American male backstroke swimmers World record setters in swimming Indiana Hoosiers men's swimmers Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in swimming Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming Olympic silver medalists for the United States in swimming Swimmers from Indianapolis Swimmers at the 1955 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 1956 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1959 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 1960 Summer Olympics Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States 20th-century American businesspeople Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in swimming Medalists at the 1955 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1959 Pan American Games 20th-century American people

See also

References

External links