George Breen
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George Thomas Breen (July 19, 1935 – November 9, 2019) was an American Hall of Fame competition swimmer, four-time Olympic medalist in freestyle events, and world record-holder in three events. After retiring as a swimmer, he became a swim coach at the University of Pennsylvania and later the Jersey Wahoos Swim Club.[1][2]
Background
Breen was born in
1500-meter world record
Many consider Breen's most significant single swim time, and greatest single effort, his 1500-meter Long Course World Record of 18:05.9 at the May 3, 1956 U.S. AAU Indoor Championship at Yale, referred to by Ohio State Coach Mike Peppe as “the single most brilliant effort in swimming since I’ve been coaching.” Breen reduced the standing world record by a substantial 13.1 seconds, and incredibly completed his swim a full 1:18, ahead of the second-place finisher, Frank Brunell, who had been an American National Champion many times. No prior swimmer had ever completed an event so far ahead of the second-place finisher in the history of the U.S. Nationals.[1]
World competitor
Olympics
Breen represented the United States at the November
Pan American Games
At the
Coaching
Breen coached the Penn Quakers men's swimming team at the University of Pennsylvania from 1966 until 1982, and served as a coach for U.S. Swimming. He formerly coached for Gloucester County Institute of Technology (Deptford, New Jersey) swim team (now separate from the school, it is known as the Greater Philadelphia Aquatic Club) and at the Jersey Wahoos Swim Club in Mount Laurel, New Jersey.[2][1]
Swimming community
He was active in swimming administration, and chaired the USA Swimming Olympic International Operations Committee. He was a member of Middle Atlantic Swimming’s Board of Directors, and also served on the Board of Directors of USA Swimming.[1]
Breen was inducted into the International Swim Hall of Fame, the American Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and the Cortland State Hall of Fame.[1]
Later life and death
Breen was a resident of Washington Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, where he coached local high school and club swim teams into his 70s.[3] He was diagnosed with bone cancer of his right middle finger and had to have it amputated. After battling pancreatic cancer for several years, Breen died on November 9, 2019, in New Jersey.[4]
See also
Olympics portal
- List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
- World record progression 800 metres freestyle
- World record progression 1500 metres freestyle
- World record progression 4 × 200 metres freestyle relay
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "George Breen, International Swimming Hall of Fame". International Swimming Hall of Fame. 1975. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
- ^ a b c "Olympic Biography, George Breen". Olympedia. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ Pawling, Chris. "Swimming legend George Breen pays visit to local meet", South Jersey Times, January 30, 2012. Accessed November 30, 2017. "Washington Township resident George Breen was in attendance at Saturday’s SJISA Coaches’ Invitational swim meet at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology."
- ^ "George Breen, a Four-Time Olympic Medalist, Dies After Cancer Battle". Swimming World News. 2019-11-10. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
External links
- Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "George Breen". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2012-03-03.
- George Breen (USA) – Honor Swimmer profile at International Swimming Hall of Fame at the Wayback Machine (archived 2017-02-24)
- George Breen – Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame profile
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