1978

* U.S. Congress passes the Amateur Sports

Act.

1979

* At the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU)

National Convention, legislation passes

changing the AAU's function from a

multi-sport organization to a

service/management activity for National

Governing Bodies.

* U.S. Swimming (USS) signs a service

agreement with the new AAU, a National

Governing Body (NGB) first.

* The AAU passes a resolution "so that

Sports Committees become National

Governing Bodies responsible for all

aspects of the governance of their

sports."

1980

* FINA (Federation Internationale de

Natation Amateur) recognizes USS and the

United States Aquatic Sports at meetings

in Moscow.

* USS holds it First National Championships,

choosing an honorary U.S. Olympic Team.

* FINA adopts "Olympic Entry Limit" of two

swimmers per country, per event, reducing

U.S. medal count potential by a 1/3.

* Competitive Swimming News becomes U.S.

Swimming News (USSN); the logo changes

from Swimming USA to USA Swimming logo

(designed by Colleen Roark of Phoenix).

1981

* Four-person USS staff moves to Colorado

Springs from Indianapolis.

* William A. Lippman, Jr. resigns as the

first USS president and is replaced by `68

Olympic bronze medalist Ross Wales.

* Phillips Performance Award and the Rookie

of the Meet Award debut.

* USS Outstanding Service Award for

volunteers at the LSC level debuts.

* USS Coaches' Colleges debut.

* USS set swimming year from May 15 to the

following May 14.

1982

* Awards Committee to commission the United

States Swimming Award.

* Don Gambril named 1984 U.S. Olympic Team

head coach.

* Phillips Petroleum begins its 10th year of

sponsoring USS.

* Top 16 Recognition debuts for age group

swimmers.

* USS acquires the Swim-a-thon fundraising

program; under USS direction clubs retain

85 percent of funds raised.

* Swimming World becomes "Official Magazine

of USS."

1983

* U.S. dominates Pan American Games.

* USS House of Delegates approves SWIMFUND,

a trust fund for post-grad athletes.

* USS renames National Championships after

Phillips Petroleum (Phillips 66).

* Mark Spitz, Johnny Weissmuller, and Don

Schollander are among 20 charter members

of U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame elected by

the media. Spitz was second in the voting

to Jesse Owens.

* No false start rule passes at USAS

Convention.

1984

* U.S. hosts Olympic Games in Los Angeles,

Calif., Eastern Bloc countries boycott

Games in retaliation for U.S. boycott of

1980.

* U.S. swimmers set record for most gold

medals -- 22 -- in a single Olympics,

winning a total of 43 medals in L.A.

* Tracy Caulkins earns three Olympic gold

medals; is named USOC SportsWoman of the

Year.

* Nancy Hogshead and Carrie Steinseifer tie

for gold medal in the 100m freestyle in

the first race of the Olympics; it's the

only tie in Olympic swimming history.

* USS receives $2.6 million dollars as its

share of L.A. Olympic surplus funds.

* John Naber and Duke Kahanamoku inducted in

U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.

* SWIMFUND modified so athletes may keep

trust fund balance after retirement.

* Australia, Canada, Japan and USA form the

Pan Pacific Swimming Association as

charter nations.

1985

* Coaches Safety Training requirements

debut; Safety Training for Swim Coaches,

CPR and First Aid.

* USS hires Director of Sports Medicine.

* First U.S. Open Meet held, formerly known

at the USS International Meet.

1986

* Janet Evans' international debut comes at

the first-ever Goodwill Games.

* Matt Biondi is named USOC SportsMan of the

Year.

* U.S. Olympic Foundation gives USS the

first of three grants of over $300,000 to

build a swimming treadmill.

* Debbie Meyer, 1968 Sullivan Award winner,

is inducted into U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame

1987

* USA earns a record 57 medals at Pan Ams.

* Master's Degree program with USS Sports

Medicine and the University of

Colorado-Colorado Springs debuts, an NGB

first.

* Carol Zaleski has first shovel honors as

ground is broken for Flume.

* Shirley Babashoff and Donna deVarona are

inducted into U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.

1988

* USS creates own insurance company, an NGB

first.

* USS Flume and International Center for

Aquatic Research are dedicated; Flume is

installed in ICAR by the same firm that

erected the St. Louis Arch

the Pittsburgh-Des Moines Company.

* Counsilman Chair for international sports

scientists to conduct research at ICAR

debuts.

* U.S. team wins 18 medals at Seoul

Olympics, led by Janet Evans, who won

three individual gold medals and Matt

Biondi, who won seven medals, including

five gold.

* Matt Biondi is named USOC SportsMan of the

Year for a second time.

* Charlie Daniels is inducted into the U.S.

Olympic Hall of Fame.

1989

* U.S. team dominates Pan Pacifics in Tokyo.

Swimming history is made as four different

U.S. swimmers set world records on August

20 in a six and one-half hour span.

* Flume is recognized as one of the Seven

Engineering Wonders of the year.

* Code of Conduct is established for

national team athletes and staff.

* Athlete Endowment of $1 million is

created, an NGB first.

* Four-hour meet rule is approved.

1990

* Sports Illustrated names Mary T. Meagher's

200m butterfly world record as the

fifth-greatest "single-event" record ever.

* Six U.S. swimmers break the English

Channel team relay crossing record.

* Mark Spitz tests in the Flume; the stroke

is efficient; the power is lacking.

* Four-hour rule takes effect for swim

meets.

* Tracy Caulkins Competition Pool dedicated.

* First-ever USS Sprint Championships,

televised by ABC's Wide World of Sports,

nets Tom Jager $12,000 and a new world

record.

* Janet Evans earns Sullivan Award and USOC

SportsWoman of the Year as the nation's

most outstanding amateur athlete.

* The NCAA moves to restrict swimming's

practice time.

* Tracy Caulkins is inducted into the U.S.

Olympic Hall of Fame.

1991

* Team USA wins most medals, most gold

medals, most points for men's, women's and

combined at the World Championships.

* USOC unveils plans for an $18 million

facility construction project, including

major funding for a state-of-the-art

aquatics center.

* USA dominates Pan Pacifics, Pan Ams, and

World University Games competitions,

winning most medals and most gold medals.

* Phillips Petroleum extends their

sponsorship for four more years with $1

million.

* Bill Lippman dies at 83, after 22 years of

service to the sport of swimming; Lippman

Cup for combined team champions at senior

nationals debuts.

1992

* Peter Daland, winner of 9 NCAA titles,

retires from coaching after 35 years at

USC.

* USS signs on to participate in the USOC

Short Notice Drug Testing program.

* The U.S. team earns 27 medals in Olympics,

one-quarter of the entire U.S. delegation

totals; seven American win individual

events.

* Helene Madison is inducted into the U.S.

Olympic Hall of Fame.

* Ground is broken for the Olympic Training

Center Aquatic Center.

* USS athlete membership tops 200,000 for

the first time in history.

1993

* Pablo Morales is named USOC SportsMan of

the Year.

* Comprehensive communications package is

approved, including Splash! and the

SwimFax, which give USS it's own

fax-on-demand system, an NGB first.

* Athlete's Assistance features

money-for-medals; $600,000 in support

fund.

* Swimming places three finalists -- Mike

Barrowman, Summer Sanders, and Pablo

Morales -- on Sullivan Award slate.

* UCLA drops men's swimming due to gender

equity after 29 years of finishing in the

top 10 at the NCAA Championships and

having a 98 percent graduation rate.

* Olympic Training Center pool opens with 17

Olympic greats representing U.S. Olympic

teams from 1936 to 1992.

1994

* Camp with swimmers from seven disabled

sports organizations is held, an NGB

first.

* Resident National Team debuts.

* Tom Dolan becomes the first male since

Mark Spitz in 1972 to win four U.S.

national titles in one meet.

* Outreach Weekend debuts, featuring a

minority swim camp, coaches college and a

swimming agency summit (American Red

Cross, YMCA, Boy Scouts, etc.), an NGB

first.

* U.S. wins most medals, most points at

World Championships; Janet Evans becomes

first woman ever to win back-to-back

Olympic and World Championship titles; Tom

Dolan wins the 400m IM with a world

record.

1995

* USS Bulletin Board joins the Internet.

* For the second time in history, the U.S.

tops 50 medals at the Pan Am Games.

* USS hosts Pan Pacific Championships for

the first time; meet conducted in the

Olympic competition pool venue.

1996

* USS remodels website; attracts more than

two million in year

* Construction started on new $35 million

U.S. Swimming building on Olympic Training

Center grounds. Conference room in new

building named for USS Executive Director

Ray B. Essick

* Amy Van Dyken wins four gold medals at the

1996 Olympic Games, which was more than

any woman in U.S. Olympic history, either

winter or summer sports.

* Swimmers earn 25.7 percent of all medals

for the U.S. delegation in Atlanta.

Swimming out-medaled track and field for

the first time, the men's 400m medley

relay broke the world record for gold

medal and U.S. teams won all six relay

events.

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