Passages: Steve Clark, 1964 Olympic Gold Medalist, Age 82
Steve Clark, a two-time Olympian and a three-time Olympic relay gold medalist for the United States, died on April 14. He was 82 years old.
Clark was a rare two-time Olympian, qualifying for the U.S. team at both the 1960 and 1964 Olympics. He won gold medals in the men’s 400 freestyle, 800 freestyle and 400 medley relays at the 1964 Olympics, and he swam in preliminaries for two gold-medal winning American relays at the 1960 Rome Games before the rule change that allowed prelims swimmers to win the same medals as finals participants.
It’s one of several ways in which the final numbers on Clark’s career undercount his true impact. Clark was a dominant short-course swimmer, in an era where that discipline remained underemphasized.
He set world records in the 50-yard, 100-yard, 100-meter, 200-yard and 200-meter freestyles. He was the first man to break 21 seconds for 50 yards, 46 seconds for 100 yards, 53 seconds for 100 meters, 1:50 for 200 yards and two minutes for 200 meters. (The Olympic program in 1960 and 1964 featured only the 100 free and 400 free for men).
Clark was born in California and swam for Santa Clara Swim Club under George Haines, where he won six AAU national titles, and at Los Altos High School for future Cal coach Nort Thornton. He competed at Yale under Phil Moriarty, where he won five NCAA titles and graduated in 1964.
At the 1960 Olympics, in the inaugural Olympic men’s 400 medley relay, Clark anchored the American team in prelims to a world record in 4:08.2, the finals squad winning in 4:05.4 (only Jeff Farrell swam in both). He also swam in prelims of the 800 free relay. There was no 400 free relay in Rome in 1960.
Clark was not one of the American men to qualify for the men’s 100 free at the 1964 Olympics, suffering a bout of shoulder tendinitis during Olympic Trials. But he recovered in time for Tokyo, where he led off the 400 free relay in both prelims and finals. His time of 52.9 seconds on the leadoff leg in the finals set the 100 free world record for the gold-winning Americans.
His record held until the 1967 Pan American Games when countryman Ken Walsh took it down, and it would’ve medaled at the 1968 Olympics.
In the 100 free in 1964, Don Schollander set the Olympic record to win gold in 53.4. Gary Ilman was fourth in 54.0 (on unofficial electric scoring when he tied with Hans-Jaochim Klein of Unified Team of Germany), and Mike Austin was sixth in 54.5.
Clark led off the 800 free relay at the 1964 Olympics that set a world record in 7:52.1. He swam freestyle on the world-record 400 medley relay that went 3:58.3.
Clark won gold in the 100 free at the 1963 Pan American Games, beating fellow American Steven Jackman with a time of 54.7 seconds.
Clark’s career didn’t end at the 1964 Olympics: He set another American/world record as the first man to break 46 seconds in the 100-yard freestyle at the 1965 AAU National Championships in his home pool at Yale.
He was inducted to the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1966. He enrolled in Harvard Law School and wrote a book on swimmer, Competitive Swimming As I See It, in 1967.
Steve Clark was so good. I fear that with the passage of time the current swimming world will not fully appreciate his achievements. I can remember watching him race for the Los Altos G &CC team. I remember watching him on TV as he won the 100F at Nationals w a shaved head! I saw him lead his Los Altos HS team to the NCS title. Later I trained w him LC at Foothill College when George & Nort ran combined workouts there. A true gentleman and a fierce competitor. (We were 4 years apart in age)
Thank you for this article Matthew George. Before Biondi, Spitz and Phelps, Steve Clark, like Don Schollander was a hero for so many young boy swimmers in America. His 50 free of 20.9 back when you had to touch with your hand on the turn was remarkable. As a long time contributor to the sport he loved, Steve returned to the American Swimming Coaches Association World Clinic in 2009 to induct his old coach at Yale, 92 (?) year old Phil Moriarty into the ASCA Hall of Fame. His book, “Competitive Swimming as I See It” sits prominently in my library of treasures.