Clarke Scholes

Clarke Currie Scholes (November 25, 1930 – February 5, 2010) was an American competition swimmer and Olympic champion.

Clarke Scholes

Scholes being interviewed at the Helsinki Summer Games (1952)
Personal information
Full name	Clarke Currie Scholes
National team	United States
Born	(1930-11-25)November 25, 1930 Detroit, Michigan, U.S.[1]
Died	February 5, 2010(2010-02-05) (aged 79) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.[1]
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight	174 lb (79 kg)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle
College team	Michigan State University
Coach	Clarence Pinkston Charles McCaffree (MSU)[2]
Medal record Representing the  United States Olympic Games 1952 Helsinki 100 m freestyle Pan American Games 1955 Mexico City 100 m freestyle 1955 Mexico City 4×100 m medley Representing Michigan State Spartans NCAA Championships 1950 Columbus 100 yard freestyle 1951 Austin 50 yard freestyle 1951 Austin 100 yard freestyle 1951 Austin 400 yard freestyle relay 1952 Princeton 100 yard freestyle

Scholes was awarded the gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. His posted time of 57.4 seconds for the event matched that of fellow competitor Hiroshi Suzuki of Japan. Officials used a judge's decision and awarded Scholes the gold medal.^[3] He also won gold medals in the 100-meter freestyle and 4×100-meter medley relay at the 1955 Pan American Games.^[4]

In 1948, as a Redford High School senior, Scholes won Detroit City League titles in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle. He attended Michigan State University, and swam for the Michigan State Spartans swimming and diving team under Coach Charles McCaffree^[5] in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition. While under the direction of coach Charles McCaffree, Clarke was transformed into a five-time All-American and three-time NCAA champion in the 100-yard freestyle.^[6]

Scholes was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1980.^[7] He was part of the inaugural class of thirty inductees into the Michigan State University Sports Hall of Fame in 1992, and he was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in February 2008.^[8]

See also

• List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
• List of Michigan State University people
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)

References

1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Clarke Scholes". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020.
2. Bao, Robert (2008) CLARKE SCHOLES, Member, U.S. Olympic swimming team, Gold Medal, 100-meter freestyle, Summer Games in Helsinki, Finland, 1952. alumni.msu.edu
3. Lohn, John (2014). The Most Memorable Moments in Olympic Swimming. Rowman and Littlefield. p. 71. ISBN 978-1-4422-3700-1.
4. Zacharias, Patricia and Baulch, Vivian M (February 2, 2002). "Michigan Athletes have made Olympic history". Detroit News. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
5. "Michigan State University Archives, Charles McCaffree Jr". Retrieved June 18, 2023.
6. McCristal, J. Bruce and Bao, Robert (Summer 2008). "Clarke Scholes" (PDF). MSU Alumni Magazine (archived copy): 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 10, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2009.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
7. "Clarke Scholes (USA)". ISHOF.org. International Swimming Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
8. "Spartan Olympians: Clarke Scholes". MSU Alumni. Retrieved February 16, 2024.