Biography of Rowdy Gaines

Ambrose “Rowdy” Gaines IV (born February 17, 1959) is an American swimmer, Olympic gold medalist and member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. He is currently the chief fundraiser for USA Swimming as well as a swimming analyst for television networks ESPN and NBC including coverage of the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics, his third as a TV commentator.

Born in Winter Haven, Florida, Rowdy unsuccessfully tried other sports during his teen-age years but turned to swimming as a high school junior where he improved quickly and was offered a swimming scholarship to Auburn University. At Auburn he would become a five-time NCAA champion under the training of current Stanford University head swimming coach Richard Quick.

During one four-year period, Gaines held eleven World Records and had the United States not boycotted 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, he would have been a favorite to win multiple medals at the event. After graduating from Auburn in 1981, he stopped swimming for several months, thinking he had missed his opportunity to be an Olympic medalist, but was urged to resume swimming by his father. When Gaines qualified at the 1984 Olympic trials his times were not particularly impressive and he was not expected to place at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Rowdy, however, would win the 100-metre freestyle off a very good start and swim the anchor leg for both the US gold medal-winning 4×100-metre freestyle and 4×100-metre medley teams.

In August 1991, Gaines became temporarily paralyzed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome. After a two-month hospitalization, he would experience a surprising full recovery attributed largely to his superb physical condition as a competitive swimmer. He would eventually regain world-class times and, at the age of 35, become the oldest swimmer to qualify for the 1996 Summer Olympics. Ultimately, he chose not to compete in the games in Atlanta but rather began his career as a television commentator for NBC.

Gaines was Outreach Director for the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in Birmingham from 1997 until 2003 when he moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado to become the Chief Fundraising and Alumni Officer for USA Swimming.

Gaines still holds Masters long course world records in several freestyle events in the both the 30-34 and 35-39 age groups.