Jim Montgomery (swimmer)

James Paul Montgomery (born January 24, 1955) is an American former competition swimmer, four-time Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder. Montgomery was the first man to break the 50-second barrier (49.99) in the 100-meter freestyle,[1] at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, where he won three gold medals and one bronze.[2]

Jim Montgomery

Personal information
Full name	James Paul Montgomery
Nickname(s)	Jim
National team	United States
Born	(1955-01-24) January 24, 1955 Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight	194 lb (88 kg)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle
Club	Gatorade Swim Club
College team	Indiana University
Medal record Men's swimming Representing the United States Olympic Games 1976 Montreal 100 m freestyle 1976 Montreal 4×200 m freestyle 1976 Montreal 4×100 m medley 1976 Montreal 200 m freestyle World Aquatics Championships 1973 Belgrade 100 m freestyle 1973 Belgrade 200 m freestyle 1973 Belgrade 4×100 m freestyle 1973 Belgrade 4×200 m freestyle 1973 Belgrade 4×100 m medley 1975 Cali 4×100 m freestyle 1975 Cali 100 m freestyle 1978 Berlin 4×100 m freestyle 1978 Berlin 100 m freestyle

Montgomery won five gold medals in freestyle events at the first World Championships in 1973 in Belgrade. From Yugoslavia, Montgomery went on to Indiana University, where he swam for Doc Counsilman for four years, during which time he competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games winning three golds and one bronze in the summer between his junior and senior years.[3][4]

After professional swimming, and a move to Dallas, Texas, he worked briefly in hotel management and founded the Dallas Masters swim program in 1981. He later renamed it the Lone Star Masters and in 1990, the name officially became Baylor/Lone Star Masters.[5] He began teaching swim lessons in 2007, including a class to help adults get past their fear of water.

He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1986 as an Honor Swimmer.[6]

Renaming the Lone Star Masters team, he founded the Dallas Aquatic Masters club team in 2002 with partner and fellow coach, former SMU swimmer Bobby Patten. In the same year, he was named U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS) Coach of the Year.[7][8]

While continuing to coach part time at Dallas Aquatic Masters, he coached varsity swimming at the Greenhill School in Addison, Texas from 1999 to 2015. He resigned Greenhill in 2015 to launch the Jim Montgomery Swim School on Preston Road in Dallas.[9]