Sylvia Ruuska (USA)

Honor Swimmer (1976)

The information on this page was written the year of their induction.

FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1956 bronze (400m freestyle); WORLD RECORDS: 5; NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 20; U.S. NATIONALS: 4-time High Point winner.

Sylvia Ruuska wound up her career as captain of the victorious 1960 U.S. Women’s Olympic Swimming Team. This was a fitting tribute to the USA’s first great age-group swimmer. Ruuska starred with her younger sister, Pat, on their father’s Berkeley YMCA Swim Club 2-time U.S. National AAU team championships.