Mark Spitz
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2008-07-17T05:04:52Z
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/* Swimming career */
{{Infobox Swimmer|
| swimmername=Mark Spitz
| image=
| imagesize=
| caption =
| fullname = Mark Andrew Spitz
| nicknames =
| nationality = {{USA}}
| strokes = [[freestyle swimming|freestyle]], [[butterfly stroke|butterfly]]
| club = | collegeteam = [[Indiana Hoosiers]] (1968-1972)
| birthdate = {{birth date and age|1950|2|10}}
| birthplace = [[Modesto, California|Modesto, CA]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| deathdate =
| place =
| height =
| weight =
| medaltemplates=
{{MedalSport | Men’s [[swimming]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{USA}}}}
{{MedalOlympics}}
{{MedalGold | [[1968 Summer Olympics|1968 Mexico City]] | [[Swimming at the 1968 Summer Olympics|4x100 m freestyle relay]]}}
{{MedalGold | 1968 Mexico City | 4x200 m freestyle relay}}
{{MedalGold | [[1972 Summer Olympics|1972 Munich]] | [[Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics|100 m butterfly]]}}
{{MedalGold | 1972 Munich | 100 m freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | 1972 Munich | 200 m butterfly}}
{{MedalGold | 1972 Munich | 200 m freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | 1972 Munich | 4x100 m freestyle relay}}
{{MedalGold | 1972 Munich | 4x100 m medley relay}}
{{MedalGold | 1972 Munich | 4x200 m freestyle relay}}
{{MedalSilver| 1968 Mexico City | 100 m butterfly}}
{{MedalBronze| 1968 Mexico City | 100 m freestyle}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Pan American Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1967 Pan American Games|1967 Winnipeg]]|Swimming}}
{{MedalGold|[[1967 Pan American Games|1967 Winnipeg]]|Swimming}}
{{MedalGold|[[1967 Pan American Games|1967 Winnipeg]]|Swimming}}
{{MedalGold|[[1967 Pan American Games|1967 Winnipeg]]|Swimming}}
{{MedalGold|[[1967 Pan American Games|1967 Winnipeg]]|Swimming}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Maccabiah Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1965 Maccabiah Games|1965 Israel]]|Swimming}}
{{MedalGold|[[1965 Maccabiah Games|1965 Israel]]|Swimming}}
{{MedalGold|[[1965 Maccabiah Games|1965 Israel]]|Swimming}}
{{MedalGold|[[1965 Maccabiah Games|1965 Israel]]|Swimming}}
{{MedalGold|[[1969 Maccabiah Games|1969 Israel]]|Swimming}}
{{MedalGold|[[1969 Maccabiah Games|1969 Israel]]|Swimming}}
{{MedalGold|[[1969 Maccabiah Games|1969 Israel]]|Swimming}}
{{MedalGold|[[1969 Maccabiah Games|1969 Israel]]|Swimming}}
{{MedalGold|[[1969 Maccabiah Games|1969 Israel]]|Swimming}}
{{MedalGold|[[1969 Maccabiah Games|1969 Israel]]|Swimming}}
}}
'''Mark Andrew Spitz''' (born [[February 10]], [[1950]], in [[Modesto]], [[California]]) is a two-time [[United States|American]] Olympic [[swimming|swimmer]].
He holds the record for most [[gold medal]]s won in a single [[Olympic Games]] (seven), which he set at the [[1972 Summer Olympics]] in [[Munich]], [[Germany]]. He remains (as of 2008) the only Olympic athlete to both win a gold medal in every (individual) event he entered in a given year, and to set a new world record in each such event.
Between 1965 and 1972, Spitz won 9 Olympic gold medals, 1 silver, and 1 bronze; 5 Pan American golds; 31 National U.S. Amateur Athletic Union titles; and 8 U.S. National Collegiate
Athletic Association Championships. During those years, he set 33 world records.<ref>[http://www.jewishsports.net/BioPages/MarkSpitz.htm International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame]</ref>
His participation in the Munich games, swimming with a mustache, gained him a bit of notoriety as most competitors opt to swim without facial hair, often shaving their bodies completely.[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,994874,00.html]
===Swimming career===
When he was two years old, his family moved to [[Hawaii]], where he learned to swim. At age six his family returned to [[Sacramento, California]], and he began to compete at his local swim club. At age nine, he was training at Arden Hills Swim Club in Sacramento with Sherm Chavoor, the swimming coach who mentored Spitz and six other [[Olympic medal]] winners.
Spitz continued to show his tremendous talents by the early age of 10, holding 17 national age-group and one world record.
At 14, the family moved to [[Santa Clara, California|Santa Clara]] so Spitz could train with George Haines of the Santa Clara Swim Club. At 16, he won the 100 meter [[butterfly stroke|butterfly]] at the National [[Amateur Athletic Union|AAU]] Championships, the first of his 24 AAU titles.
Disappointed in his [[1968 Summer Olympics|1968 Olympic]] performance, Spitz entered [[Indiana University (Bloomington)|Indiana University]] to train with legendary coach [[Doc Counsilman]], who was also his coach in [[Mexico City]]. At Indiana from 1968-72, he was a pre-dental student and member of [[Phi Kappa Psi]] Fraternity. While at IU, Spitz won 8 individual NCAA titles. In 1971, he won the [[James E. Sullivan Award]] as the top amateur athlete in the United States.Spitz also set a number of world records during the [[United States Olympic Trials (swimming)|U.S. Olympic Swim Trials]] held in [[Chicago]]'s [[Portage Park (Chicago)|Portage Park]] in [[1972]].
He was named World Swimmer of the Year in 1969, 1971 and 1972.
He was nicknamed by his team mates, "Mark the Shark!"
===Pan American Games===
In 1967, he established a record, winning five gold medals at the [[1967 Pan American Games|V Pan American Games]] in [[Winnipeg]]. Forty years later his record was surpassed by [[Brazil]]ian [[swimmer]] [[Thiago Pereira]] at the [[XV Pan American Games]] held in [[Rio de Janeiro]], [[Brazil]], when he won six gold medals.
===Olympics===
Holder of 10 world records already, Spitz predicted brashly he would win 6 golds at the [[1968 Summer Olympics]] in [[Mexico City]]. However, he won only two team golds: the 4 x 100 meter [[Freestyle swimming|freestyle]], and the 4 x 200 meter freestyle relays. In addition, Spitz finished 2nd in the 100 m [[butterfly stroke|butterfly]]. In this event he was beaten by fellow American [[Douglas Russell|Doug Russell]] by 1/2 a second despite holding the world record and having beaten Russell in the previous 10 times they had swum against each other in that year.<ref>[http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=20272 International Olympic Committee - Athletes<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Russell did briefly match Spitz's world record in late August of 1967, holding the world record equally with Spitz for 5 days before Spitz regained it solely on October 2 1967. As a result of being beaten by Russell, Spitz did not get to swim in the 4 x 100 m Medley Relay which gave Russell his second Gold medal and the USA team another [[Swimming at the 1968 Summer Olympics| World Record swim ]]. He also finished 3rd in the 100 m freestyle at the same games.
At the [[Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics|1972 Summer Olympics]] in [[Munich]] ([[West Germany]]), Spitz was back to maintain his bid for the 6 gold medals. He did even more, winning 7 Olympic gold medals, a feat still unequaled by any other athlete in a single Olympiad. Further, Spitz set a new world record in each of the 7 events (the 100 m freestyle, 200 m freestyle, 100 m butterfly, 200 m butterfly, 4 x 100 m freestyle relay, 4 x 200 m freestyle relay and the 4 x 100 m medley relay).
Spitz's accomplishments at Munich were overshadowed by the [[Munich massacre|Palestinian terrorism]] attack that claimed the lives of 11 Israeli athletes (Spitz had previously spent time in Israel competing in the [[Maccabiah Games]]). In the immediate aftermath Spitz, who is [[Jewish]], left Munich. The hostage crisis had affected Spitz personally, as he had been a guest in the home of Israeli wrestling coach [[Moshe Weinberg]] (the first victim of the massacre) while visiting Israel, and had been friendly with many of the athletes and officials who had been killed.
===Maccabiah Games===
The [[1965]] [[Maccabiah Games]] was his first international competition. At the age of 15, in Tel Aviv Spitz won four gold medals and was named the most outstanding athlete.<ref>[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Spitz.html Mark Spitz] Jewish Virtual Library</ref>
He returned to Israel in 1969, following the Mexico Olympics, to again compete in the Maccabiah. This time he won six gold medals.<ref>[http://sports.jrank.org/pages/4523/Spitz-Mark--Swimming-Isn-t-Everything.html Mark Spitz - "Swimming Isn't Everything"]</ref> He was also named outstanding athlete of the Games.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=T91sokr_nJYC&pg=PA308&lpg=PA308&dq=%22mark+spitz%22+%22maccabiah+games%22+1969+%22gold+medals%22&source=web&ots=uvwHHNBQJW&sig=ZzBRQylSqdsuhFgwObUTf5BXyJE#PPA308,M1 Great Jewish Men] By Elinor Slater, Robert Slater</ref>
In 1985 Spitz opened the games, lighting a torch along with three children of Israeli Olympians murdered at the Munich Olympics.<ref>[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Maccabiah.html Maccabiah Games] Jewish Virtual Library</ref>
In 2005, he was chosen to be the flag bearer for the U.S. delegation to the 17th Maccabiah Games.<ref>[http://www.usoc.org/26_49958.htm United States Olympic Committy; Spitz, Mark]</ref>
===Retirement and attempted comeback===
Still only aged 22, Spitz retired from swimming after the Munich Games. His management tried to get him into show business while his name was still hot. In 1973-4, Spitz appeared on ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]'' and TV series such as ''[[The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour]]'' and ''[[Emergency!]]'' as paramedic Pete Barlow. The [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] considered hiring him as an [[Oscars]] host{{Fact|date=October 2007}} (despite the fact he hadn't made any films), and there was even talk Spitz might become the next [[James Bond]] {{Fact|date=March 2008}} (the role went to [[Roger Moore]] instead). But Spitz was clearly uncomfortable on camera, and he quickly ended his foray into show business.
Then, at age 41, Spitz attempted to make a comeback in an attempt to qualify for the [[1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Barcelona Olympics]], after film maker [[Bud Greenspan]] offered to pay him a million dollars if he succeeded in qualifying. Filmed by Greenspan's cameras, Spitz failed to beat the qualifying limit, despite the fact his times were nearly as good as (and in some cases better than) his medal-winning times 20 years earlier.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}. But the sport had moved on during the intervening years and Spitz was well out of it.
In 2006 he received critical praise for his narration of ''Freedom's Fury'', a Hungarian documentary about the country's Olympic [[water polo]] team during the [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956 | Revolution of 1956]]. The film was executive produced by [[Quentin Tarantino]] and [[Lucy Liu]], and made its debut at the [[Tribeca Film Festival]].
November 8, 2007
[[Amanda Beard]] made her first-ever appearance in a television commercial. Along with Beard and her own seven medals, the commercial features a cameo appearance by Spitz, winner of seven gold medals at the 1972 Olympic Games.
==Miscellaneous==
Spitz and his wife, Suzy (née Weiner), both [[Jew]]ish, have been married since 1973, and have two sons, Matthew (b. 1981) and Justin (b. 1991){{Fact|date=May 2007}}.
Chemist [[E. H. Bronner]] maintained that Spitz was a prophet. He is mentioned in Bronner's fifth MORAL ABC which appears on each bottle of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap. <blockquote>
Whatever unites mankind is better than whatever divides us! Yet, if absolute-unselfish I am not for me, I'm nothing but classless raceless, starving masses, never free nor brave! Only if constructive-selfish I work hard perfecting first me, like Mark Spitz - Arctic owls - penguin - pilot - cat - swallow - beaver, bee can I teach the MORAL ABC's ALL-ONE-GOD-FAITH, that lightning-like unites the Human race! For we're ALL-ONE OR NONE! ALL-ONE! 'listen children eternal father eternally one!' EXCEPTIONS ETERNALLY? ABSOLUTE NONE!<ref>[http://www.drbronner.com Dr Bronner's Magic Soaps]</ref>
</blockquote>
Spitz has sued Dr. Bronner's over this reference.<ref>http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_documents/0528_mark_spitz_wm.pdf</ref>
In 1999, Spitz ranked #33 on ''[[ESPN]] SportsCentury 50 Greatest Athletes'', the only aquatic athlete to make the list.
Per his official Web site, Spitz is currently self-employed as a corporate spokesperson and motivational speaker.
In a live, in-studio interview with [[KCRA]] host Mike TeSelle on June 14, 2008, Spitz commented that he no longer maintains his iconic mustache because it had become "too gray."
==See also==
* [[List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)]]
* [[List of swimmers]]
* [[Indiana Hoosiers|Athletics at Indiana University]]
* [[Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame]]
* [[Aleksandr Dityatin]]
* [[Michael Phelps]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.markspitzusa.com Official Website]
*[http://www.usolympicteam.com/26_49958.htm Spitz U.S. Olympic Team bio]
*[http://espn.go.com/classic/biography/s/spitz_mark.html Mark Spitz ''ESPN Classic'' biography]
* {{imdb|0819156}}
{{start box}}
{{s-ach|rec}}
{{succession box|before={{flagicon|AUS}} [[Michael Wenden]]|title=[[World record progression 100m freestyle|Men's 100 metre freestyle<br>world record holder (long course)]]|years=[[23 August]] [[1970]] – [[21 June]] [[1975]]|after={{flagicon|USA}} [[Jim Montgomery (swimmer)|Jim Montgomery]]}}
{{succession box|before={{flagicon|ARG}} [[Luis Nicolao]]|title=[[World record progression 100 metres butterfly|Men's 100 metre butterfly<br>world record holder (long course)]]|years= [[July 31]], [[1967]] – [[August 27]], [[1977]]
<sup>Note: Held Jointly with [[Douglas Russell| Doug Russell]] August 29 & October 2 1967</sup>
|after={{flagicon|USA}} [[Joe Bottom]]}}
{{succession box|before={{flagicon|AUS}} [[Kevin Berry]]|title=[[World record progression 200 metres butterfly|Men's 200 metre butterfly<br>world record holder (long course)]]|years=[[July 26]], [[1967]] – [[August 30]], [[1967]]|after={{flagicon|USA}} [[John Ferris (swimmer)|John Ferris]]}}
{{succession box|before={{flagicon|USA}} [[John Ferris (swimmer)|John Ferris]]|title=[[World record progression 200 metres butterfly|Men's 200 metre butterfly<br>world record holder (long course)]]|years=[[October 8]], [[1967]] – [[August 22]], [[1970]]|after={{flagicon|USA}} [[Gary Hall Sr.]]}}
{{succession box|before={{flagicon|USA}} [[Gary Hall Sr.]]|title=[[World record progression 200 metres butterfly|Men's 200 metre butterfly<br>world record holder (long course)]]|years=[[August 27]], [[1971]] – [[August 31]], [[1971]]|after={{flagicon|FRG}} [[Hans-Joachim Fassnacht]]}}
{{succession box|before={{flagicon|FRG}} [[Hans-Joachim Fassnacht]]|title=[[World record progression 200 metres butterfly|Men's 200 metre butterfly<br>world record holder (long course)]]|years=[[August 2]], [[1972]] – [[June 3]], [[1976]]|after={{flagicon|GDR}} [[Roger Pyttel]]}}
{{s-ach|aw}}
{{succession box | title=[[Associated Press Athlete of the Year|Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year]]|before=[[Lee Trevino]]|after=[[O.J. Simpson]]| years=1972}}
{{succession box | before = [[John Kinsella]] | title = [[James E. Sullivan Award]] | years = [[1971 in sports|1971]] | after = [[Frank Shorter]]}}
{{end box}}
<br>
{{Footer Olympic Champions 100 m Freestyle Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 200 m Freestyle Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 100 m Butterfly Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 200 m Butterfly Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 4x100 m Freestyle Relay Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 4x200 m Freestyle Relay Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 4x100 m Medley Relay Men}}
{{Sullivan Award winners}}
<br>
<!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] -->
{{Persondata
|NAME=Spitz, Mark Andrew
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=[[United States|American]] [[swimming|swimmer]]
|DATE OF BIRTH=[[February 10]], [[1950]]
|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Modesto]], [[California]], [[United States]]
|DATE OF DEATH=
|PLACE OF DEATH=
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spitz, Mark}}
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Modesto, California]]
[[Category:People from Sacramento, California]]
[[Category:American butterfly swimmers]]
[[Category:American freestyle swimmers]]
[[Category:Jewish American sportspeople]]
[[Category:Jewish swimmers]]
[[Category:Olympic swimmers of the United States]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 1968 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 1972 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States]]
[[Category:Former world record holders in swimming]]
[[Category:James E. Sullivan Award recipients]]
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