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Lettermen’s Club Hall of Fame
The Iowa Athletic Department inducted 21 members into its inaugural class of the Iowa Lettermen’s Club Hall of Fame in 1990. The Hall of Fame recognizes achievements in athletics as an athlete, coach or administrator at the University of Iowa. Swimmer Wally Ris and former head Coach Dave Armbruster represent the Iowa swimming and diving program as inaugural members of the Iowa Lettermen’s Club Hall of Fame. Subsequent inductions have included diver Wentworth Lobdell (1992), and swimmers Irving Weber (1994), R.M. Westerfield (1995), Bowen Stassforth (1996), Ray Walters (1996), Jack Sieg (1997), John Davey (1999), Edward “Rusty” Garst (2001), Lincoln Hurring (2001) and Adolph Jacobsmeyer (2002). Following are brief sketches on each of the inductees.
David Armbruster |
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David Armbruster
Coach, 1917-58
– Established swimming as an intercollegiate sport at Iowa
– Career record of 114-83-3 in 42 seasons, the longest coaching term in school history
– Credited with developing the butterfly stroke and the flip turn
– Led Hawkeyes to their first Big Ten championship in 1936
– 1949 Iowa team placed second at the national meet
– Produced two Olympians, 14 NCAA champions and 75 all American swimmers and divers
– Former president of the College Swimming Coaches’ Association
– Inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1966
– Was instrumental in getting the Fieldhouse Pool built in 1927
– University of Iowa Physical Education Association president in 1944
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John Davey
Swimmer, 1985-88
– Four-time Athlete of the Year
– Won 10 Big Ten titles
– 10-time all-American
– Finalist in 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games
– Finalist in two World and three European championships
– Won a silver and two bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games
– Holds Iowa and Fieldhouse records in 200 and 400 Individual Medley
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Edward “Rusty” Garst, Jr. |
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Edward “Rusty” Garst, Jr.
Swimmer, 1949-51
– 1950 50 yard free NCAA and Big Ten champion
– Seven-time all-American
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Lincoln Hurring |
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Lincoln Hurring
Swimmer, 1955-56, ’58
– Member of New Zealand Olympic team at 1952 Helsinki Games and 1956 Melbourne Games
– Coached New Zealand Olympic team at 1976 Montreal Games
– Two-time NCAA and Big Ten champion in 100 and 200 yard back
– Eight-time all-American
– Iowa team captain in 1956, 58
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Adolph Jacobsmeyer |
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Adolph Jacobsmeyer
Swimmer, 1934-36
– Five-time individual all-American in 220, 440 and 400 free
– Member of all-American 440 free and 300-yard medley relays
– Member of 1936 NCAA champion 400-yard free relay
– Captained varsity and freshman teams
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Wentworth Lobdell |
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Wentworth Lobdell
Diver, 1930-32
– All American diver
– Three-time Big Ten one-meter diving champion
– First diver in Big Ten history to win three consecutive titles
– Candidate for 1932 U.S. Olympic team
– Defeated only once in intercollegiate competition, that coming in the finals of the 1930 NCAA meet
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Wally Ris |
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Wally Ris
Swimmer, 1947-49
– Won a gold medal in 100 free at 1948 Olympic Games in London
– His Olympic record time (57.3) stood for eight years and was five-tenths of a second faster than the silver medalist
– Member of U.S. gold medal 800 free relay, which set a world record by over five seconds- Three-time Western Conference freestyle sprint champion
– Two-time national collegiate champion in 100 free
– Six-time all-American
– Set national intercollegiate, national AAU and Western conference records at Iowa
– Undefeated as sprinter in four years of collegiate competition
– Five straight AAU national titles in the 100-yard free
– 1949 College Swimmer of the Year
Jack Sieg |
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Jack Sieg
Swimmer, 1934-36
– Four-time all-American
– Member of Iowa’s 1936 NCAA record-breaking 400-yard free relay that won a national championship
– Part of 1936 Big Ten champions
– Member of 1933 440 free relay team
– Co-developed the “Dolphin Butterfly Breaststroke” in 1936
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Bowen Strassforth |
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Bowen Strassforth
Swimmer, 1949-50, 52
– Eight-time all-American
– Silver medalist in the 200-meter breast at 1953 Olympic Games
– Gold medalist in 1951 Pan-American Games in 200 breast
– Set 16 national breast records
– Part of Iowa’s 1949 Big Ten and NCAA champion 300-yard medley relay
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Ray Walters |
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Ray Walters
Swimmer, 1936-37, 39
– Won Iowa’s first NCAA Championship
– Five-time all-American
– National record-holder and 1936 NCAA Champion in 50 free
– Member of Iowa’s 1936 NCAA record-breaking 400-yard free relay that won a national championship
– Led Iowa to the 1936 Big Ten Championship with wins in the 50 and 100-yard free events
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Irving Weber |
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Irving Weber
Swimmer, 1922
– Iowa’s first swimming all American
– 1922 all-American in 150 yard back
– Marked the beginning of every Iowa home swimming meet between 1964-1997 by ringing a bell
– Irving Weber Elementary School, opened in 1994, named in his honor by the Iowa City Community School District
– Team award in his honor for Hawkeye who displays outstanding leadership
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R.M. Westerfield |
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R.M. Westerfield
Swimmer, 1935-37
– Six-time all-American
– Set NCAA record in 150-yard back
– Part of 1936 Big Ten champions