RICHARD “DICK” JOCHUMS ELECTED TO THE HALL OF FAME – COACHED SWIMMERS TO 25 WORLD RECORDS & 12 OLYMPIC MEDALS

Fort Lauderdale- The International
Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) announced today that

Dick Jochums in 1985

Dick Jochums, will become
one of seventeen (17) honorees to enter the International Swimming Hall of Fame
as the Class of 2017. Jochums is the seventh individual to be named for
ceremonies to be held August 25-27, in Fort Lauderdale. Previously,
photo-journalist/contributor Heinz Kluetmeier, and five

“Pioneers”have been
announced, including:  swimmers Wu
Chuanyu (CHN), Takashi “Halo”Hirose (USA);  diver Zhang Xiuwei (CHN), long
distance swimmer Walter Poenisch (USA) and water polo player Osvaldo Codaro
(ARG).  Jochums will enter the ISHOF as
an Honor Coach.

“Finally!,”says Don Gambril,
the legendary Olympic coach who selected Jochums to succeed him at the Long
Beach Swim Club. “I can’t believe it has
taken so long for him to get in. He is one of the great ones.”

Dick Jochums coached at every level
during his career: at swim schools, at colleges and with USS Clubs. He held
assistant coaching positions at the University of Washington, the University of
California at Berkeley and held his first head coaching position at Cal-State
Hayward. Dick moved from Hayward to Long Beach State, while also coaching the
Long Beach Swim Club, and then on to the University of Arizona in 1978. In his
20-year career in collegiate swimming, his teams had 12 top ten finishes. In
1995, he moved Santa Clara and returned the famed Santa Clara Swim Club’s men’s team to the title
of national champions in 1996, 1997 and 1998. He retired from full-time
coaching in 2007.

Tim Shaw receiving the coveted Sullivan Award in 1975.

In the era of American male swimming
dominance, Dick Jochums became the USA’s middle distance guru and placed
swimmers on every major USA international team from 1973 through 1988.  He was assistant or head coach of 8 major USA
National Teams. Among his swimmers are two Hall of Famers: Tim Shaw and Bruce
Furniss.  At one time, Shaw
simultaneously held the world record in the 200m, 400, 800m and 1500m
freestyle. At the 1975 World Championships, Shaw won 3 gold medals, for which
he received the coveted the James E. Sullivan Award as the nation’s  At the same meet, his
other swimmers, Greg Jagenburg won 2 gold medals and Steve Furniss one. Seven
Jochums-coached swimmers swam in the 1976 Olympic Games:  Bruce Furniss, Steve Furniss, Tim Shaw, Dan Harrigan, Steve
Greg and Jack Babashoff, winning a combined two gold, three silver and one
bronze medal. At the 1978 World Championships, Bob Jackson won 2 gold medals,
Jagenburg and Steve Gregg each won silver and Bruce Furniss one relay
gold. In 1980, Bob Jackson had the fastest time in the world in the 100m
backstroke and did not get to swim in the Olympic Games because of the US led
boycott.  In 1984 George Di Carlo won
gold in the 400m freestyle and silver in the 1500m, while breaststroke Peter
Evans won double bronze medals swimming for Australia. In 2000, in 2000, he
coached Tom Wilkens to a bronze medal in 200 IM.  His teams won 8 USA National Long Course
Championships and one combined (men’s and women’s) National Title. In 1975, his
Long Beach Swim Club team of Rex Favero, Bruce Furniss, Tim Shaw and Steve
Furniss set the world record in the 4 x 200 freestyle relay.  It was the last club team to set a world
relay record.

outstanding
amateur athlete.

About ISHOF

The International Hall of Fame,
established in 1965, is a not-for-profit educational organization located in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida. Its mission is to promote the benefits and importance of
swimming as a key to fitness, good health, quality of life, and the water
safety of all adults and children.  It accomplishes this through operation
of the International Swimming Hall of Fame, a dynamic shrine dedicated to
preserving the history of swimming, the memory and recognition of the famous
swimmers, divers, water polo players, synchronized swimmers and people involved
in life saving activities and education whose lives and accomplishments
inspire, educate, and provide role models for people around the world. For more
information contact Bruce Wigo at 954-462-6536 ext. 201, or by email bwigo@ishof.org