1966 Swimming Team (1998)

The 1966 Swimming and Diving Team went undefeated against all competition at the dual, triangular, relay, Chicago Catholic League and National Championship levels, compiling a record of 18 wins and 0 defeats. The nucleus of the team included sixteen seniors, many of whom received All-American recognition for their individual and relay performances during the season. The 1966 championship season was the culmination of a goal that had begun four years earlier, namely, dethroning Fenwick High School as the dominant power in swimming in the Catholic League and at the Catholic National Championships. This would be the first time in twenty-eight years that Loyola Academy would claim the championship. This also marked the beginning of the Loyola dynasty of the sixties, with three National Championships in a row won in 1966, 1967, and 1968, coached by Dick Shiman and Ed "Mickey" McGuire. Previously, Loyola had won Chicago Catholic League championship in 1926 and 1938. Leading Loyola's attack in the meet was senior freestyler John Dowdle, who was named the outstanding swimmer of the meet for the second consecutive year. Dowdle set a new meet record in the preliminaries with 1:46.1 in the 200 yard free style to break his previous standard of 1:46.6 set the previous year. Dowdle went on to win the event and also capture a first in the 100 yard free style with a time of 48.6 seconds. Additional standouts for the champion tankers were the members of the 200 yard medley relay team - Walt Meier, Jay Reynolds, Rich Steinbach and Bob Bennewitz - which took first place and set a new meet record. Steinbach also captured a third in the 100 yard backstroke. Charlie Rinkor nailed down fifth place in the 100 yard backstroke to give Loyola additional points in that event. In the diving, Bill Ford took a seventh, and John Curran, a junior, rounded off Loyola's scoring with a second place in the 50 yard free style. Truly, the 1966 Swimming Team was one for the ages. Daniel Baas, Gregor P. Baran, William F. Barrett, Louis B. Beaudry, Robert Bennewitz (RIP), Christopher R. Birren, Michael J. Calihan, John W. Close, Robert G. Cook, John P. Curran, Philip Crouch, Terry Donoghue, Thomas J. Donoghue, John A. Dowdle, Steven F. Dowdle, John E. Dwyer, John D. Fitzgerald, Timothy L. Flanagan, William F. Ford, David J. Geraghty, Edward A. Gibbs, Steven Gilbert (RIP), Robert G. Ingalls, Anthony J. Jariabka, Gregory R. Jordt, Donald R. Kaiser, Steven L. Kohler, Paul T. Latter, Daniel J. Lawlor, Stephen M. McCarthy, Thomas F. McConville, Bruce McKeever, Walter Kurt Meier, Edward H. Meyer, Anthony J. Mitchell, James M. Mulvaney, Dennis M. O'Shaughnessy, Todd J. Poremski, Charles W. Rinkor, Jay J. Reynolds, Walter J. Starck, Richard C. Steinbach, Fred Waldeck, Ed McGuire, Coach, Dick Shiman, Coach