Natalie Coughlin was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame on Monday at Oracle Park in San Francisco.
The Class of 2021 inductees include former San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy, former Oakland Athletics Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, former San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Bryant Young and Olympic sailor Paul Cayard.
Natalie Coughlin is a 12-time Olympic medalist, tied for the most by a U.S. female in any sport in history.
Coughlin was the third American woman to win five Olympic medals in one meet. She was the first woman to swim the 100 backstroke in less than a minute, then the first to do so in less than 59 seconds. She was the first swimmer since 1978 to win five national titles in one meet, which she did in 2002.
She was the 2002 USA Swimming Swimmer of the Year and three-time NCAA Swimmer of the Year at Cal where she won 12 NCAA title.
Natalie Coughlin went on to swim in the first year of the International Swimming League (ISL) and now runs a winery in California.
The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was founded in 1979 by Lou Spadia, former president of the San Francisco 49ers. Spadia had long dreamed of a Hall of Fame to honor the Bay Area’s athletic legends and at the same time raise funds to help kids play sports. Now celebrating over 40 years of enshrining the great athletes, the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame has enshrined 185 athletes and donated over $4 million to youth organizations in our community.
A portion of the proceeds of the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony will benefit Special Olympics Northern California.
Special Olympics Northern California (SONC) enriches the lives of children and adults with intellectual disabilities through sports, health, leadership and inclusive schools programs. The 501(c)3 nonprofit organization offers free year-round programming in 44 counties across Northern California, empowering athletes to be their best both on and off the field. More information is available at SONC.org.