Despite Doping Ban, Conor Dwyer to Be Inducted Into University of Florida Hall of Fame
Two-time U.S. Olympian and former Gators star Conor Dwyer will be inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame, the school announced last week. Dwyer and six other athletes, including active NFL player Joe Haden and active Major League Baseball catcher Mike Zunino, will be recognized on Friday, October 7, the night before Florida hosts the University of Missouri in football.
The decision to induct Dwyer is debatable, given the doping penalty levied against him late in his career.
Dwyer swam for Florida for two seasons, in 2010 and 2011, after he transferred from the University of Illinois. Dwyer broke out onto the national scene when he won NCAA titles in the 200 and 500-yard freestyle at the 2010 NCAA Championships, and two years later, he qualified to represent the United States at the 2012 Olympics in London, where he swam the second leg of the men’s 800 freestyle relay that captured a gold medal.
Four years later in Rio, Dwyer led off the U.S. foursome that again won gold in the 800 free relay, and he also earned Olympic bronze in the 200 free. Dwyer also captured numerous World Championship medals, including an individual silver in the 200 free in 2013.
However, Dwyer left the sport under a dark cloud. Dwyer had qualified for the 2019 World Championships as a relay swimmer, but his name was removed from the U.S. roster two months before the meet. Later, news emerged that Dwyer had tested positive for an anabolic substance in three consecutive out-of-competition tests, and the United States Anti-Doping Agency determined that Dwyer had inserted testosterone pellets into his body. As a result, Dwyer received a 20-month suspension, and he announced his retirement from swimming shortly thereafter.
He transferred from Iowa, not Illinois.