Midwestern Swimming Hall of Fame

Mike Hayhurst began his coaching career in Nebraska as a Graduate Assistant at the University of Nebraska where he also served as the Assistant Swim Coach and Recruiting Coordinator (1983-1986). His club coaching includes Nebraska Aquatics (1982) and Metro Omaha Swim Team (1987-2000). Mike’s swimmers’ achievements include numerous Junior, National, and Olympic qualifiers, several with Top 100 ranking, numerous high school champions, team championships, and swimming scholarship recipients. Mike was honored by his peers as Midwestern Coach of the Year in 1988, 1994, 1995, 1997 1998, 1999 and 2000. He served MW in the capacity of Head All Star and Head Zone Coach on several occasions. In 1995 he was awarded the ASCA Award of Excellence. Mike currently is Head Coach of the Scottsbluff-Gering High School Swimming and Diving Team and teaches 8^th grade Social Studies in Scottsbluff.

Mike served on the Midwestern Board of Directors for several years, including serving as Senior Chair. His strong swimming background and strength as a quiet leader were most valued by Midwestern Swimming. Mike leaves an indelible positive imprint on all those he comes in contact with – his swimmers and swim families, his coach colleagues, and those who have worked with him professionally. He is truly a consummate professional swim coach!

Although Wendell Groth’s tenure as a volunteer for Midwestern goes back to the 1960s, his imprint on Midwestern is still felt by all today. Mr. Groth served as president of the Lincoln Swim Club, was a referee and mentored many officials throughout Midwestern. He was a delegate from MW to the AAU where he also served on the board of trustees. Mr. Groth was very instrumental in the building of Woods Pool in Lincoln, considered at the time to be a world-class facility. Mr. Groth was then able to convince the AAU to bring the National Championships to Lincoln in 1966 and 1968. The great swimmers of the late ‘60s all came to Woods Pool in Lincoln to establish their place among the swimming legends. Today the Woods facility is still used for Midwestern Championships, and in 2010 will the facility will host the Central Zone Championships, thanks to the foresight of Wendell Groth.

Dr. Robert Rutford served as president of the Lincoln Swim Club, was a referee, served as meet director for several meets at Woods Pool, and served a director of the swimming portion of the Junior Olympic Multisport National Championships in Lincoln for four years. Dr. Rutford was a research geologist whose work took him all over the globe, but he still found time to get involved in the sport of swimming when his children were swimmers in Lincoln, giving countless volunteer hours. Dr. Rutford served as Interim Chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1980-1981. He has retired from his position as Chancellor of the University of Texas at Dallas and currently resides in the Dallas area. Volunteers like Dr. Rutford are the foundation of a strong swimming community.

Barb Harris was an outstanding swimmer for Midwestern during the 1970s. Her swimming achievements include winning three gold medals at the 1974 National Junior Olympics before a hometown crowd in Lincoln, NE, winning an NCAA Division I national championship butterfly title, anchoring an American record Medley Relay, earning a gold medal at the World University Games, and qualifying for two Olympic Trials. Barb’s time of 59.13 from 1974 still stands as a MW 13-14 Long Course record. Barb earned her BA at the University of North Carolina and her MPA from Indiana University. She has worked as an age group, collegiate and Masters coach, carries ASCA level 3 certification, and currently serves as a coach for Central Oregon Masters Aquatics.  She served as Coach of the US team at the FINA World Masters Swimming Championships in 2004. Barb is a great example of an athlete and mentor who has inspired her teammates, swimmers, and others to work harder and smarter.

Jeff Evans began his swimming career at the age of nine. He says he got two 5^th place ribbons at his first meet – and he was hooked! Jeff qualified for AAU regionals in 1967 and again in 1969. In 1969 Jeff received the Midwestern Swimmer of the Year award – 40 years prior to being inducted into the MW Hall of Fame. He commented that he could not believe anyone remembered what he did 40 years ago. Jeff won the 400 yd freestyle at the Nebraska State High School Meet as a freshman (yes, 400 yd) and was the first Nebraska high school swimmer to break 4:00.00. His high school career included numerous other championships with four straight 400 free titles. Jeff’s collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin included qualifying for four NCAA meets, All American status, school records in 500, 1000, and 1650 as a freshman, and placing in a number of individual events at the Big 10. He was team captain his senior year, graduating in 1977 with a degree in construction administration. He also qualified for the National AAU meets in 1974-1976. Jeff was named to the Fremont High School Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Nebraska High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007 (the third male swimmer to hold that distinction along with Chuck Sharpe and David Lammel).  Jeff is a great example of an enthusiastic age group swimmer who kept that enthusiasm for excellence in achievement throughout his swimming career.

Chuck Sharpe was the first Nebraska swimmer to win nine state titles. In 1977 he set a state record of 1:39.24 in the 200 freestyle which still stands today and is the oldest swimming record in Nebraska high school swimming history. Chuck's 200 freestyle record ranked him 3rd in the nation; his 100 freestyle first place time of 45.568 ranked him 2nd in the nation; his 50 split (to the feet) of 21.537 ranked him 19th his senior year. Swimming rules limited Chuck to only two individual events and he was state champion in the 100 and 200 free for three years straight for Westside High School.

Chuck went to Indiana University and swam four years under the legendary coach Jim "Doc" Counsilman. While at Indiana Chuck was an NCAA All American and team captain. He was a three-time NCAA finalist, and during his time at Indiana Chuck won 12 Big Ten swimming titles and was awarded the Niles Barton award as the Outstanding Indiana University Swimmer his senior year.

Chuck was a three-time gold medal winner at the World University Games, three time National Sports Festival champion, and world ranked in the 200 meter freestyle. Chuck was also a member of the Cincinnati Marlins National Championship Team in 1980. Midwestern is very proud of the accomplishments of Chuck Sharpe.

Coach Bentz's more than 50 years of coaching experience includes 24 years as Head Coach of Swimming and Diving at the University of Nebraska and 22 years as a high school coach, club coach and teacher. His collegiate men’s teams produced more than 100 NCAA All Americans and the women’s program produced more than 80 NCAA All Americans. Under Coach Bentz, Nebraska teams won 16 men’s conference titles and 5 women’s conference titles in swimming and diving. More than 20 Olympians from all over the world competed for Nebraska under Coach Bentz. During his tenure at Omaha Westside High School, Coach Bentz’ boys and girls teams won 16 state championship titles. In 1976 the Omaha World Herald named Coach Bentz “Nebraska High School Coach of the Year”. He was a long time member and past president of the Nebraska High School Coaches’ Association and in 1997 was inducted into the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame. In 2005 he was inducted into the Westside High School’s Coaches’ Night of Distinction. Coach Bentz began his swimming career in 1948 as an AAU Swimmer. He was a four year letterman in swimming, team captain his junior and senior years and graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1955. While coaching at Nebraska he was honored as an Alumnus of the Year and in 1992 he was presented the UNL Parents Association Recognition Award for Contributions to Students. Coach Bentz has coached and taught, provided competitive swimming camps and clinics in Nebraska and the Midwest for 51 years. He has dedicated his life to the betterment of the sport of swimming. His accomplishments exemplify a lifetime of excellence from which Nebraska and Midwestern have benefited greatly.

Jack, or Coach Jackson as he liked to be called, coached several clubs in Midwestern Swimming during his 46 years of coaching. Clubs benefiting from his expertise were Omaha Swim Club, Lincoln Swim Club, Bellevue Swim Club, and Omaha Suburban Swim Club.  He also coached swimming at Creighton Prep and Creighton University. During his coaching career he developed four Top 25 World Ranked Swimmers, over 60 Senior National swimmers, over 100 Junior National swimmers, and over 150 National Top 16 swimmers.  He also coached and developed Nebraska’s first home grown Olympic Swimmer in Renee Magee.  During his final years of coaching he led the way in developing our area’s para-athletes (swimmers with disabilities), which eventually led to coaching two area Paralympians. Coach Jackson was also dedicated to being involved in the governance of competitive club swimming.  He served on Midwestern Swimming’s Board of Directors for 20 years, House of Delegates for 40+ years, USA Swimming’s advisory panel of coaches for 20 years, and American Swim Coaches Association’s (ASCA) Board of Directors for four years.  ASCA awarded Coach Jackson the “Excellence in Coaching” award for having athletes from Nebraska represented at Nationals for 20 consecutive years. Coach Jackson’s contributions to the sport of swimming were valued by USA Swimming as he was asked to be a part of eleven (11) National Team trips, the team manager of our country's 1996 Olympic Swim Team, a 2000 Paralympic Team Leader and the 2004 Paralympic Women’s Head Coach. Coach Jackson’s coaching career was full of outstanding swimmers and impressive accomplishments, but his most important contribution to Nebraska’s competitive swimming was his passion and dedication to the swimmers. Although he received several offers from programs outside Nebraska, he rejected them because none were greater than his love for Nebraska and his commitment to developing Midwestern athletes.

Doug and Jean Horner served as Registration chairs and officials for Midwestern Swimming for 14 years, having become involved because children Jenni and Ryan were both swimmers with the Millard Swim Club. Although Doug was the designated registration chair, it was definitely a family affair and Jean put in her time too. Both were MW officials and worked area meets. Doug also spent many years as a Millard High School official. When Doug and Jean first began doing registration everything was done by hand and the entire family would sit on the floor in the basement with 3 x 5 cards and a card box. When things became computerized, the new computer had to be upgraded to 20 mg in order to handle the job. At one time family members would 'read' the cards to Doug and he would type in the information using Word Perfect. Floppy disks were sent to Colorado Springs to transmit the registration information. When the family 'retired' it was clear that they had moved on to other activities. Perhaps if the grandchildren were to get involved in swimming, we would again find the Horners actively involved in Midwestern. Their dedication to excellence both as registrars and as officials set high standards for those who have followed in their footsteps.

Betty Jakob dedicated a very large part of her life helping Nebraska children develop character through the sport of competitive swimming. As a pioneer woman coach she worked with all organizations in the state of Nebraska - AAU, USS, USA Swimming, YMCA, and the NSAA - to further the goals of competitive swimming. Betty began coaching with the Grand Island Swim Association when there were few women coaches in the United States. She began at the Grand Island YMCA in 1967 and coached there until 1987. She developed several AAU National qualifiers, two USS National qualifiers, over a dozen YMCA National qualifiers, and three Nebraska State Champions in women's swimming who set five Nebraska State High School records. Two were inaugural Nebraska State champions in 1973. When Betty retired fro the YMCA she continued to be involved with coach High School for another 13 years. Betty is a true treasure in our competitive swimming world. She never sought the limelight, but tirelessly worked to light the passion for swimming in thousands of Nebraska young people throughout her long coaching career.

Bonnie Berndt is a great example of what parental involvement can become. Bonnie's children began swimming when they were living in New Hampshire and she became involved with the sport then. When they moved to Mississippi she became involved there as an official. When a move took her family to Nebraska she again became involved with the local LSC even though her children had been out of swimming for some time. Bonnie served as Officials Chair and referee for MW from 1983 until 2000. She gave many tireless hours to MW by giving clinics, staffing and working championship meets, and faithfully attending the USAS Conventions for many years. Bonnie was a wonderful example of a swim parent who knew the value of swimming for her children and spent much time giving back to a sport that gave so much to her family. Yet Bonnie would tell you that she received much more than she gave and would encourage parents to get involved in the sport as a volunteer and an official.

Renee Magee was the first Midwestern swimmer to make a U.S. Olympic Swimming team. She was a member of the 1976 team and swam the 100 m backstroke in Montreal, Canada. Renee began her career as a seven year old with the Omaha Westside Swim Club under Cal Bentz. In 1972 she swam for Bellevue Swim Club in Jack Jackson. In 1975 her father was transferred to Houston, and but Renee stayed in Omaha and lived with the Jacksons. Homesickness and missing her family began to effect her performance and the decision was made by athlete, coach, and parents for her to move to Texas with her family. She joined Dad's Club and swam with Skip Kenny, now the men's coach at Stanford University. Renee placed 3rd at the Olympic Trials in 1976. She was World Ranked in the 200 m IM in 1974, a top 16 qualifier from 1972 thru 1976 and a Midwestern record holder. She was also a member of the US National Team that competed in Australia. At the 1976 Olympic Games she missed qualifying for the semifinals by .01. She competed for North Carolina State for one year and retired. She returned to school and earned a Law degree. Today she lives in Houston, is married and has a son. She is an assistant District Attorney in Houston. Her mother refers to her as the Martha Clark of Houston. Renee encourages athletes to work hard and enjoy the sport of swimming. She remembers her swimming career as some of the best times of her life.

Dotty was the quintessential swim mom. She began her involvement with swimming when her daughter began swimming at the age of six. This got Dotty involved in working the scoring table at meets. She handled entries, seeding, and preparing the heat sheets and programs. She ran the scoring table at Nationals in 1966 and 1968 in Lincoln at Woods Pool. Along with Bill Boyer she developed the ballot system which is still used today. She also did all the entries, seeding and programs for the State and Metro meets from 1967 to 1972. The amazing thing was that it was all done by hand - no computers. It was usually an 18 hour day to prepare for a meet and then run the meet all weekend. Dotty was a board member of Midwestern Swimming and the Omaha Westside Swim Club. Her love for watching her daughter compete and her love for the sport made her one of the early dedicated volunteers in the development of Midwestern Swimming. In her later years she was able to help with meet entries for a club and help set up meets with the computer, a challenge which she accepted gingerly. Dotty passed away on Christmas Day in 2001 and Midwestern has missed her sorely.

Dr. Hammer's involvement with Midwestern goes back to the 1970s and the days of the AAU. When USA Swimming was formed, Doc served as a representative from Midwestern to the 1st ever USA Swimming Convention. He served as Central Zone director from 1978-1979 and also on the USA Swimming Board of Directors. He was instrumental in bringing the first ever Central Zone meet to Lincoln, Nebraska in 1980. Doc Hammer served as an official not only at the local level but also at the zone and national level. He has served as Midwestern General Chair on numerous occasions. Midwestern Swimming honored Dr. Hammer with a surprise USA Swimming Life Membership at the USAS Convention in Los Angeles in 1994. Doc Hammer has been a visionary in that the establishment of the Cornhusker State Games which includes a swim meet is due in great part to his efforts. Doc Hammer still gives generously of his time and can occasionally be found on a swimming deck as an official. Doc is a very special friend to all in swimming - at the club level, at the LSC level, at the zone level, at the national level and to the whole of our sport.

A tribute to Dr. Hammer listing his many civic contributions - from the Nebraska Sports Council.

Purpose

Coaches must have been a member of USA Swimming and coached at the club level either as a head coach or assistant coach, must have coached at least five years in Midwestern, and may not be only a high school or college coach.

Officials must have been a member of USA Swimming, registered with Midwestern Swimming and active in Midwestern, Zone, Sectional and National Meets, and must have been active in officiating for at least five years.

Volunteers must have worked over a period of five years and not be a person who fits any of the above criteria for athlete, coach, or official.

Please contact Mary Losee with your nominees for the MW Hall of Fame before July 1, 2008, in order for them to be honored in the fall of 2008.