Obituaries

Passages: Bryan Robbins, SMU Hall of Fame Diver and Coach, 78 Bryan Robbins, a Hall of Fame diver and diving coach who had a storied career at Southern Methodist University, passed away on Nov. 2. He was 78 years old. Robbins was an All-American diver at SMU and coached Team USA at the 1976 Olympics...

Passages: Patrick Woepse, Former UCLA Men’s Water Polo Player, 31 Patrick Woepse, a former water polo player at UCLA and the husband of U.S. women’s national teamer Maddie Musselman, died on Oct. 10 after a 13-month battle with cancer. He was 31 years old. Musselman posted news of Woepse’s passing o...

Passages: Robertas Zulpa, 1980 Olympic Gold Medalist, 64 Robertas Zulpa, the 1980 Olympic gold medalist in the men’s 200 breaststroke, died on Aug. 30. He was 64 years old. Zulpa was born in Vilnius is what is now Lithuania but represented the Soviet Union. He won gold in the men’s 200 breast at the...

Passages: Steve Gregg, 1976 Olympic Silver Medalist, 68 Steve Gregg, a silver medalist at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, died on Sept. 11. He was 68 years old. Gregg won silver in the men’s 200 butterfly at the 1976 Olympics, his time of 1:59.54 under the existing world record of East Germany’s Roger P...

Jeff Cavana, a former head coach of the LSU Swimming and Diving program for four seasons, died this week. He was 67. Cavana became LSU’s head swimming coach in August of 2000 after serving as an assistant coach for the Tigers for 10 seasons. Cavana joined LSU as an assistant to then-head coach Rick ...

Passages: Vladimir Bure, Olympic Medalist Swimmer and Famous Hockey Father, 73 Vladimir Bure, who won four Olympic medals in the pool for the Soviet Union, died on Sept. 3. He was 73 years of age. Bure represented the Soviet Union at three Olympics, in 1968, 1972 and 1976. He won bronze in the 100 f...

Scottsdale Aquatic Club coach Bob Platt died on Saturday at age 58. Platt has been an inspiration in the swim community through his coaching and also his advocating for the LGBTQ+ community and any other people he felt were marginalized. No cause of death has been released. He has coached several el...

The Gift of Casey Converse; Distance Legend Passes Away at 66 By CHUCK WARNER Legendary United States distance swimmer and coach Casey Converse lost his battle to cancer earlier this week at the age of 66. Here is a tribute to Casey, written by Chuck Warner.  Are you a swimmer or coach with an attit...

Passages: Swimming in Australia Mourns The Passing of Pioneer Swim Coach Myee Baumer Swimming in Australia is mourning the loss of much-admired coaching pioneer, Myee Baumer, who has passed away peacefully at Narrabeen’s RSL Retirement Village, in Sydney. Myee was 85. [caption id="attachment_59492.....

Passages: Carolyn Schuler Jones, Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist The current Olympics are a time to look back on Olympians of the past, especially those the sport has recently lost. Carolyn Schuler Jones was a two-time Olympic gold medalist at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. She died on July 22, 2024...

Manly Olympian Frank O’Neill, The First Australian To Break 60 seconds for 110 Yards and who taught Greta Garbo How To Swim, Dies Age 97 One of Australia’s oldest surviving Olympians and Commonwealth Games medallists, Frank O’Neill, has passed away peacefully at home in his beloved suburb of Manly,....

Former Swimming World Magazine Publisher and International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) CEO Brent Rutemiller has died after multiple bouts with cancer. He died early June 17, 2024, surrounded by his family. His daughter Shoshanna posted in the Rutemiller's Army Facebook page this morning. "Hi all, ...

Passages: David Wilkie, British 1976 Olympic Champion, 70 David Wilkie, a world record setting breaststroker and ISHOF inductee who won gold at the 1976 Olympics, died on May 22. He was 70 years old. His family released a statement, saying: "It is with great sadness that the family of David Wilkie M...

Jon Urbanchek, one of the most iconic coaches in swimming history has died. He was 87. He coached the University of Michigan from 1982-2004, winning an NCAA title, and was the U.S. coach at the Olympics in 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004. He was also an assistant for the U.S. in 2008 and 2012. "Keep...

PASSAGES: Tributes Flow For Olympian Neil Rogers – the Lord Of The Lanes At Bondi Icebergs Leaves A Lasting Legacy Tributes have flowed like the incoming tides at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach this week following the sad passing of a local legend “Mr Bondi Icebergs” – two-time Olympian, coach, ocean ....

Passages: Joana Neves, Brazilian Paralympic Medalist, Age 37 Joana Neves, a Brazilian swimmer who won five medals over the last three Paralympic Games, died on March 18. She was 37 years old. Her passing was confirmed by SADEF RN, her club in Brazil. Neves, full name Joana Maria Jaciara da Silva Nev...

Passages: Hall of Fame Coach Maureen Sheehan, 65 Hall of Fame swimming coach Maureen Sheehan died on March 17. She was 65 years old. Sheehan was born and raised in Janesville, Wisconsin. She earned a swimming scholarship to Kansas University, where she was a team captain and a two-time AIAW All-Amer...

Passages: Judy McGowan, ISHOF Artistic Swimmer Inductee Judy McGowan, a long-time synchronized and artistic swimming competitor, coach and official, died on March 10. McGowan was a massive figure in American synchronized swimming for a half-century, including as Founding President of U.S. Synchroniz...

Passages: Giuseppe D’Altrui, Italian Water Polo Legend, 89 Giuseppe D’Altrui, one of the titans of Italian water polo, died on Feb. 26. He was 89 years old. D’Altrui captained Italy to the gold medal at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. He also played on the 1956 team that finished fourth and captained the...

Three University of Wyoming Swimmers Killed in Car Accident Three swimmers from the University of Wyoming were killed in a car accident in northern Colorado on Thursday. The athletes were involved in a single-vehicle accident on U.S. 287 in Larimore County, northwest of the city of Livermore. The ac...