Rick Colella

Richard Phillip Colella, Jr. (born December 14, 1951)[1] is an American former breaststroke swimmer who represented the United States at two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1972.

Rick Colella

Colella in 1972
Personal information
Full name	Richard Phillip Colella, Jr.
Nickname(s)	"Rick"
National team	United States
Born	(1951-12-14) December 14, 1951 Seattle, Washington
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	181 lb (82 kg)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Breaststroke
Club	Totem Lake Swim Club
College team	University of Washington
Medal record Representing the United States Olympic Games 1976 Montreal 200 m breaststroke World Championships (LC) 1975 Cali 4×100 m medley 1975 Cali 200 m breaststroke 1973 Belgrade 400 m medley Pan American Games 1971 Cali 200 m breaststroke 1975 Mexico City 100 m breaststroke 1975 Mexico City 200 m breaststroke 1975 Mexico City 4×100 m medley 1975 Mexico City 400 m medley 1971 Cali 400 m medley Universiade 1970 Turin 200 m breaststroke 1970 Turin 400 m medley

Colella's sister Lynn was also an Olympic swimmer. In 1971 Richard and Lynn won the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Man of the Year award.[2]

Colella finished fourth in the final of the men's 200-meter breaststroke at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, he finished third and received the bronze medal in the 200-meter breaststroke, his signature event.

Colella and his wife Terry have raised four children, Elise, Mariel, Brian and Angie. For the past seven years, the Colellas have dedicated themselves to raising money for research to find a cure for facioscapulohumeral disease (FSHD), a common form of muscular dystrophy that affects their son Brian. They formed FSH Friends, an organization that they run out of their home. They work to raise money and put on an annual auction gala that takes place in the end of January. They've also co-sponsored local workshops, bringing researchers together from around the world, to help move the research forward.[3]