26 Facts About Adolph Kiefer

Adolph Gustav Kiefer was an American competition swimmer who swam for the University of Texas, a 100-meter gold medalist in the 1936 Summer Olympics, and a former world record-holder in numerous backstroke events.

Adolph Kiefer was the first person in the world to break the one-minute mark in the 100-yard backstroke.

Adolph Kiefer's father had been a swim instructor in the German army and had worked as a candy vendor.

Adolph Kiefer did some of his earliest swimming at one of the Sister Lakes in Michigan at the age of ten.

Adolph Kiefer received some of his earliest swimming instruction at the Wilson YMCA.

Adolph Kiefer attended Chicago's Roosevelt High School, graduating in June, 1936.

Around 14, in early 1933, Adolph Kiefer began training and competing with Hall of fame Coach Stan Brauninger at Chicago's Lakeshore Athletic Club and would later swim at Brauninger's Medina Towers Club.

Adolph Kiefer attended the University of Texas at Austin where he competed in swimming under former acquaintance Hall of Fame Coach Julian William "Tex" Robertson.

Coach Robertson is credited with helping Adolph Kiefer adopt a more efficient hand entry for the backstroke that extended at an angle of around 45 degrees from the trunk of the body, rather than the earlier position directly in line with the trunk.

Eighteen-year-old Adolph Kiefer represented the United States at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany.

Adolph Kiefer set new Olympic records in the first-round heats, the second-round heats, and the event final.

Adolph Kiefer had a clear lead by the 50-meter point in the event final, and never lost his lead, though his margin of victory over second place American Al Vande Weghe, silver medalist, was only around 2 seconds.

Adolph Kiefer became the first man to break the one-minute mark in the 100-yard backstroke while competing for Roosevelt High School as a 16-year-old in the Illinois High School Championships of 1935, swimming 59.8 seconds.

Adolph Kiefer broke twenty-three records after breaking the one-minute backstroke mark.

Adolph Kiefer set a world record for the 100-meter backstroke of 1:04.8 on January 18,1936, at Brennan Pools in Detroit, Michigan.

Adolph Kiefer set world records in nearly every recorded backstroke event of his era, and captured national championships in the 3 stroke individual medley as well.

Adolph Kiefer returned home from the Olympics a national hero, and began traveling with other US Olympic medalists on a tour of Europe, China, Japan, and South America, during which he challenged other swimmers in those locations to individual races.

Shortly thereafter, Adolph Kiefer auditioned for the role of "Tarzan", but joined the US Navy instead.

Adolph Kiefer joined the US Navy as a Chief Petty Officer in late 1943 and was initially assigned to the physical fitness and swimming division of the United States Navy's Bureau of Naval Personnel as a Chief Athletics Specialist.

Adolph Kiefer quickly moved through the ranks, becoming Officer in Charge of Swimming for the entire US Navy, training over 13,000 navy swim instructors to do the "Victory backstroke", a term Kiefer coined himself.

Victory backstroke was a simplified version of the modern backstroke that allowed novice swimmers to breathe easily while leveraging what Adolph Kiefer considered to be a more buoyant stroke style for novice swimmers.

Adolph Kiefer subsequently devoted himself to community service, combining swimming and philanthropy.

Adolph Kiefer actively supported Swim Across America, a nonprofit organization that raises funds for cancer research, and participated in SAA public swimming events well into his 70s and 80s.

Adolph Kiefer was an "Honor Swimmer" member of the inaugural class inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1965.

Adolph Kiefer was inducted into the University of Texas Hall of Fame in 1982.

In 2008 Adolph Kiefer celebrated his 90th birthday in Omaha at the 2008 US Swimming Olympic Trials, where he awarded medals for the 200-meter backstroke.