Gus Sundstrom
"Professor" Gus Sundstrom | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 28, 1858 Brooklyn, New York, USA |
| Died | September 9, 1936 (aged 77) New York, New York |
| Playing career | |
| 1885-1895 | New York Athletic Club |
| Position(s) | Swimmer, Water Polo player |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1890-1935 | New York Athletic Club Swim and Water Polo Coach |
| 1890- | New York Public Schools Swimming supervisor |
| 1904 | U.S. Olympic Water Polo Team |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1904 Olympic Gold Medal (NYAC water polo) | |
| Awards | |
| International Swimming Hall of Fame US Water Polo Hall of Fame | |
| Records | |
| 13-3 (US Sr. National Water Polo Team) | |
Gus Sundstrom (October 28, 1858-September 9, 1936) was the first swim instructor and swim coach at Manhattan's New York Athletic Club (NYAC), and served for fifty years, from 1885-1935, mentoring several world record holders and Olympians. He was equally adept coaching water polo at NYAC, and led his teams to national titles, and a 1904 St. Louis Olympic Gold medal. An accomplished long-distance swimmer who helped develop and pass-on the modern front crawl to his students, he was considered by swimming historians to be "the first great American coach of the modern era".