Mitchell Ivey (born February 2, 1949) is a former American international
swimmer
Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...
who was a
backstroke
Backstroke or back crawl is one of the four Swimming (sport), swimming styles used in competitive events regulated by FINA, and the only one of these styles swum on the back. This swimming style has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disa ...
specialist and Olympic medalist. Ivey later became a prominent Olympic and college swimming coach.
Early years
He was born in
San Jose, California
San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...
, and trained with the
Santa Clara Swim Club
The Santa Clara Swim Club (abbreviated SCSC) is a renowned swimming club and team based in Santa Clara, California. Part of USA Swimming, it is a USA Swimming Silver Medal Club and a part of the Pacific Swimming LSC, sub-governed by Zone 1 South.
...
under coach
George Haines
George Frederick Haines (March 9, 1924 – May 1, 2006) was a swimmer and swimming coach who coached at the Santa Clara Swim Club, Stanford University and UCLA. He also coached for seven U.S. Olympic swim teams. He was inducted into the In ...
.
[Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes]
Mitch Ivey
Retrieved July 5, 2012. As a member of the Santa Clara Swim Club, he won three
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...
(AAU) United States national championships. He initially attended
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
, but transferred to
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities i ...
, where he swam for coach
Don Gambril's
Long Beach State 49ers
Long Beach State athletics, or simply Beach athletics (previously known as the 49ers), are the athletic teams that represent California State University, Long Beach. Teams compete in 19 sports at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NC ...
swim 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 an ...
(NCAA) competition. Ivey won the 200-yard backstroke at the
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 ...
with a time of 1:52.77 in 1970, and graduated from Long Beach State in 1972.
[
]
Olympic career
Ivey participated in two Olympics as a member of the United States Olympic Team: the 1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...
in Mexico City, and the 1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...
in Munich, Germany, winning two Olympic medals.[ He won a silver medal by finishing second behind ]Roland Matthes
Roland Matthes (, ; 17 November 1950 – 20 December 2019) was a German swimmer and the most successful backstroke swimmer of all time. Between April 1967 and August 1974 he won all backstroke competitions he entered. He won four European champ ...
in the men's 200-meter backstroke in 1968.[databaseOlympics.com, Athletes]
Mitch Ivey
. Retrieved July 5, 2012. He also won a bronze medal with a third-place finish in the 200-meter backstroke, and competed in the 100-meter backstroke, placing fourth in the finals at the 1972 Olympics.[ He swam for the gold medal-winning U.S. relay team in the preliminary heats of the men's 4×100-meter medley, but was ineligible to receive a medal under the 1972 Olympic swimming rules because he did not swim in the event final.
]
Coaching career
Ivey became a noted Olympic and college swimming coach after his own competition swimming career ended. From 1974 to 1979, he was the head coach of the Santa Clara Swim Club, succeeding George Haines. Three of his Santa Clara swimmers qualified for 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 ...
. In 1981, he became the head coach of the Concord Pleasant Hill Swim Club. From late 1988 to mid-1990, he coached the elite Etobicoke Swim Club in Toronto, Ontario. He served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic Team at the 1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...
. Ivey was chosen to replace Randy Reese
Randy Reese (born 1946) is an American college and Olympic swimming coach. Reese is best known for coaching the Florida Gators swimming and diving teams of the University of Florida to four national championships, and coaching the winners of ei ...
as the head coach of 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 of 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 ...
, and led the Gators women's team from 1990 to 1993.
Florida Swimming & Diving 2011–12 Media Supplement
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida (2011). Retrieved July 5, 2012. During his three seasons as Florida's coach, the Lady Gators swimmers won the 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 of ...
(SEC) championship three consecutive years, and finished third, third and second nationally at the NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships
The NCAA Women's Division I Swimming and Diving Championships is an annual college athletics, college championship in the United States. The meet is typically held on the second-to-last weekend (Thursday-Saturday) in March, and consists of indivi ...
.[ He was also recognized as the SEC Coach of the Year for three consecutive seasons.][
The ]University of Florida Athletic Association
The University Athletic Association, Inc. (UAA) is a non-profit corporation that is responsible for maintaining the Florida Gators intercollegiate sports program of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. The UAA is run by a board o ...
released him in October 1993 following an episode of the ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
television show ''Outside the Lines
''Outside the Lines'', or also referred to as ''OTL'', is an American television program on ESPN that looks "outside the lines" and examines critical issues in mostly American sports on and off the field of play.
The primary host of the show is ...
'' which recounted Ivey's history of romantic involvement with several of his previous swimmers before he became a coach at the University of Florida, and made allegations of sexual harassment against him. Ivey had been previously married three times, including his second wife who was an 18-year-old swimmer at the time he married her.[Pat Dooley,]
UF swim coach Mitch Ivey fired
" ''The Gainesville Sun'', pp. 1A & 8A (October 26, 1993). Retrieved July 8, 2012. Ivey denied the charges of misconduct, saying "I was told that putting my arm around a girl and using foul language was deemed reason enough or the University of Florida to fire him" ESPN did not interview Ivey, nor did he answer on air any of the allegations by ESPN.[ His Florida women's swimmers issued a unanimous statement supporting him,][ and stated publicly they did not complain about nor witness any inappropriate behavior.
Ivey later coached the Trinity Prep Saints swimming and diving team of ]Trinity Preparatory School
Trinity Preparatory School of Florida is an independent college preparatory day-school for students in grades 6 to 12, located in Winter Park, a suburb of Orlando. It is affiliated with the Episcopal Church and is accredited by the Florida Coun ...
in Winter Park, Florida, and its affiliated club team, Trinity Prep Aquatics, during the late 1990s. Most recently, from 2003 to 2006, Ivey coached swimming at the Episcopal School of Jacksonville
Episcopal School of Jacksonville is an independent, coeducational private college preparatory school in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It was founded in 1966 by the Episcopal Diocese of Florida. The school has two lower schools, a middle sc ...
, Florida.
Suzette Moran, who was also coached by King, alleges in a lawsuit she was 16 when U.S. Olympic coach Mitch Ivey first made sexual advances toward her. Ivey, a two-time Olympic medalist who coached at Concord Pleasant Hill Swim Club at the time, allegedly went into her hotel room and had unwanted sex with her during the 1983 U.S. Championships in Indianapolis on a trip chaperoned by King.
On December 24, 2013, 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 ...
, the national governing body for competition swimming in the United States, officially banned Ivey for life based on evidence that he had improper sexual relations with one or more swimmers while he was their coach.
Personal life
Ivey is the father of Jeb Ivey, a former professional basketball player.
See also
* List of California State University, Long Beach people
* List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
This is the complete list of men's Olympic medalists in swimming.
Men's events 50 metre freestyle
100 metre freestyle
200 metre freestyle
400 metre freestyle
800 metre freestyle
1500 metre freestyle
100 metre backstroke
200 metre ...
* Long Beach State 49ers
Long Beach State athletics, or simply Beach athletics (previously known as the 49ers), are the athletic teams that represent California State University, Long Beach. Teams compete in 19 sports at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NC ...
* Stanford Cardinal
The Stanford Cardinal are the athletic teams that represent Stanford University. As of June, 2022, Stanford's program has won 131 NCAA team championships. Stanford has won at least one NCAA team championship each academic year for 46 consecutive ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ivey, Mitch
1949 births
Living people
American male backstroke swimmers
Florida Gators swimming coaches
Long Beach State Beach 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 San Jose, California
Swimmers at the 1968 Summer Olympics
Swimmers at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics
Universiade medalists in swimming
Universiade gold medalists for the United States
Medalists at the 1970 Summer Universiade