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Robert John Herman Kiphuth (November 17, 1890 – January 7, 1967) was an American swimming coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head men's swimming coach at Yale University for 41 years, from 1918 to 1959. During his tenure with the Yale Bulldogs swimming and diving team, he amassed a record of 520 wins to only 12 losses, along with four NCAA titles (1942, 1944, 1951, 1953),[1] earning him a reputation as the winningest coach in history.
 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 17, 1890 Tonawanda, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 7, 1967 (aged 76) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1918–1959 | Yale |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1947–1949 | Yale |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 520–12 .98 Winning % |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 4 NCAA (1942, 1944, 1951, 1953) 38 Eastern Intercollegiate Titles | |
| Awards | |
| '65 International Swimming Hall of Fame | |
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Kiphuth was born to John and Marie E. Kiphuth in Towanda, New York on November 17, 1890. Towanda, in the greater Buffalo area, was not known for producing great swimmers, but several great swim coaches. Though he was an exercise, gymnastics, and fitness instructor, he left the gym to begin his duties at the old Carnegie Pool when his U. of Michigan predecessor, Matt Mann left as Yale swim coach in 1917. His success as a swim coach was immediate and ongoing, and his innovative approach was quickly adopted by many in the swimming community.[2]
Breaking from the accepted wisdom of his era, he encouraged his swimmers to run cross-country track to gain endurance, and to engage in dry land exercises to gain strength. Championing an enlightened approach to training his swimmers, he led his Yale teams to four NCAA Championships in 1942, 1944, 1951, and 1953. His books and articles greatly benefitted the swimming community and his accomplishments convinced his competitors of the soundness of his approach. In addition to his NCAA championships, he won 38 Eastern Intercollegiate titles, produced 14 AAU National Team Championships, and was a U.S. Olympic swim coach for five Olympics including 1932, 1936, and 1948. Near the end of his coaching career, his Yale teams won 142 consecutive dual meets. His 1948 U.S. Olympic swim team won first place in every event, an accomplishment that has never been equaled.[2]
As noted, Kiphuth also served as the head coach for multiple U.S. Olympic swimming teams (both men and women, depending on the year). From 1947 to 1949, he doubled as Yale's athletic director.[3] He was largely responsible for the modern training approach to the sport of swimming, with his focus on dryland workouts,[2] and interval training.
Swimming community roles
From 1951 to 1961, Kiphuth was the first publisher and a co-founder of Swimming World Magazine, which heralded a more informed approach to assessing swimming competition on the team and individual level. The magazine was another of his gifts to the swimming community and an important part of his legacy.[2]
He was a founder of the Council for National Cooperation in Aquatics, served as a Vice President of the International Swimming Hall of Fame, directed the Boys Clubs of America, and served with the National Art Museum of Sports, and the President’s Fitness Council. He was also the National Swim Chairman of the AAU.[2]
Honors
Kiphuth was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Lyndon Johnson on December 6, 1963. He had been chosen to receive the award by President John F. Kennedy (President Kennedy also received the Medal of Freedom, posthumously, at the same ceremony).[4][5]
Since 1968, the high-point award at the USA's Swimming National Championships has been named in his honor (the "Kiphuth Award").[6]
In 1965 he was inducted as an Honor member into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. He is also in the Buffalo, NY. area Sports Hall of Fame.[2]
Kiphurth died on January 7, 1967, in New Haven, Connecticut, after suffering a heart attack. He was married to Louise Delaney Kiphuth, who pre-deceased him in 1941. He had one son, Delaney, who attended Yale and served as a Football and swim coach, and then as Athletics Director at Yale for twenty-two years, from 1954-1976. Robert H. Kiphuth was buried in New Haven's Evergreen Cemetery, as was his wife Louise.[7]
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