Leo Joseph Goodwin (November 13, 1883 – May 25, 1957) was an American swimmer, diver, and

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

player. He competed in the

1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library syst ...

and 1908 Summer Olympics and won medals in all three disciplines. Goodwin nearly lost his arm after

blood poisoning Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is foll ...

in 1906. Dr. Dave Hennen, a swimmer from his club and a famous surgeon, dissected his entire forearm while cleaning it from poison, then re-assembled the veins, muscles and ligaments. Goodwin quickly recovered, but was unfit for the 1906 Olympics. At the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition Goodwin set an outdoor record by swimming 3.5 miles in 1 hour and 38 minutes in San Francisco Bay. He won by 200 yards. He later received the

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...

, the highest peacetime award in the United States, for rescuing people from drowning at Newport News, Virginia. He retired from active competitions in 1922, but continued swimming through his seventies. In 1971 he was inducted 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 s ...

as an "Honor Swimmer".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodwin, Leo 1883 births 1957 deaths American male freestyle swimmers American male water polo players Divers at the 1904 Summer Olympics American male divers Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in swimming Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming Olympic divers of the United States Olympic medalists in diving Olympic medalists in water polo Olympic water polo players of the United States Sportspeople from New York City Swimmers at the 1904 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1908 Summer Olympics Water polo players at the 1904 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1904 Summer Olympics 20th-century American people

See also

References