David Erwin Larson was born on June 25,1959 and is an American former competition swimmer who is an Olympic gold medalist and former world record-holder.
14 Facts About David Larson
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David Larson was born in the small town of Jesup, Georgia in 1959.
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David Larson started swimming as an age-group competitor in 1963.
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David Larson attended the Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida, where he swam for the Bolles high school swim team.
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David Larson accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he swam for the Florida Gators swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association and Southeastern Conference competition under coach Randy Reese from 1978 to 1981.
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David Larson won two NCAA championships at Florida in the 800-yard freestyle relay, setting American and NCAA records in the process.
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David Larson finished second in the 200-yard freestyle to Rowdy Gaines of Auburn in 1981, but then out-swam Gaines on the final leg of the 800-yard freestyle relay to claim the NCAA championship in the event.
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David Larson earned twenty-one All-American honors and was national record holder in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
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David Larson was first selected for the US national swim team for the 1979 Pan American Games held in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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In what would become a regular match-up, David Larson earned a silver medal in the men's 200-meter freestyle for his second-place finish behind American teammate Rowdy Gaines.
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David Larson continued his training with the program that coach Randy Reese had created for post-college swimmers in Gainesville, Florida.
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David Larson represented the United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
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David Larson spent the next decade working in sports marketing, then in television.
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David Larson worked with NBC on its Olympic broadcasts, including the 2005 Winter Games.