Steve Lundquist
Encyclopedia
Stephen Lundquist (born February 20, 1961 in Atlanta, Georgia
) is a former swimmer from the United States
, who was a member of the Olympic Team when the USA boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics
. His rise to fame was when in 1984 he won two Olympic Gold medals: in the 100 meter breaststroke
, and the 400 meter medley relay.
Lundquist was the first swimmer to break 2 minutes in the 200 yard breaststroke
. He won every 100 yard breaststroke event he entered from 1980-1983. At 17 he broke his first world record and in his career he broke world and American records on 15 occasions. He first broke the 100 meter breaststroke world record in 1982 and held it until 1989 with the exception of one month when John Moffett held it. He also held the world record in the 200 m individual medley in 1978. He set American records in the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke and the 200 m individual medley.
Coached by Arthur Winters, Steve from a butterfly swimmer when he was 12 years old to the breaststroke which is the stroke he came to dominate. Coach Art was at the end of the pool when he broke his first world record at 17 years of age. Coach Art told him lots of things that helped him swim faster including how to win the Olympic 100 m breaststroke.
Lundquist went on after the 1984 Olympics to spend much of his time volunteering his time for charitable organizations and making appearances on television and in movies. In June 1985, People Magazine awarded him having the Best Chest of male celebrities, including a full-page picture of his muscular torso. In 1996 when the Olympics were hosted in Atlanta, Georgia
he was an Olympic Torch Bearer, the Clayton County Master of Ceremonies for the torch run, and he was also given the honor of being the Olympic Flag Bearer at the 1996 Olympic Games. He currently runs his own business, Digipik, a digital media company in the Stockbridge, Georgia
area.
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
) is a former swimmer from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, who was a member of the Olympic Team when the USA boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
. His rise to fame was when in 1984 he won two Olympic Gold medals: in the 100 meter breaststroke
Breaststroke
The breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on his or her chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to its stability and the ability to keep the head out of the water a large portion of the time. In most swimming classes, beginners learn...
, and the 400 meter medley relay.
Lundquist was the first swimmer to break 2 minutes in the 200 yard breaststroke
Breaststroke
The breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on his or her chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to its stability and the ability to keep the head out of the water a large portion of the time. In most swimming classes, beginners learn...
. He won every 100 yard breaststroke event he entered from 1980-1983. At 17 he broke his first world record and in his career he broke world and American records on 15 occasions. He first broke the 100 meter breaststroke world record in 1982 and held it until 1989 with the exception of one month when John Moffett held it. He also held the world record in the 200 m individual medley in 1978. He set American records in the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke and the 200 m individual medley.
Coached by Arthur Winters, Steve from a butterfly swimmer when he was 12 years old to the breaststroke which is the stroke he came to dominate. Coach Art was at the end of the pool when he broke his first world record at 17 years of age. Coach Art told him lots of things that helped him swim faster including how to win the Olympic 100 m breaststroke.
Lundquist went on after the 1984 Olympics to spend much of his time volunteering his time for charitable organizations and making appearances on television and in movies. In June 1985, People Magazine awarded him having the Best Chest of male celebrities, including a full-page picture of his muscular torso. In 1996 when the Olympics were hosted in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
he was an Olympic Torch Bearer, the Clayton County Master of Ceremonies for the torch run, and he was also given the honor of being the Olympic Flag Bearer at the 1996 Olympic Games. He currently runs his own business, Digipik, a digital media company in the Stockbridge, Georgia
Stockbridge, Georgia
Stockbridge is a city in Henry County, Georgia, United States with a population of 25,636 as of the 2010 census. It is the hometown of the multi-platinum selling alternative rock/post-grunge band Collective Soul and home to one of the youngest starting pitchers ever to play for the Atlanta Braves,...
area.
Achievements
- U.S. Honorary Olympic Team medalist, swimming, 1980
- United States Swimmer of the Year, 1982
- Olympia Award, 1983
- U.S. Olympic Team double gold medalist, swimming, 1984
- International Swimming Hall of Fame, inducted in 1990
- Georgia Sports Hall of FameGeorgia Sports Hall of FameThe Georgia Sports Hall of Fame is located in Macon, Georgia. It is the largest state sports hall of fame in America at .-Exhibitions:The Hall of Fame houses over of exhibit space broken down into sections including Hall of Fame Inductees, High School, collegiate sports, Olympic, Paralympic,...
's youngest inductee, 1990 - Olympic flagbearer, torch-runner, emcee, 1996
- Voted America's Top Breast-Stroker of the Century By US Swimming
- Georgia State Games Cauldron Lighter, 1997
- 3rd place, Super Dogs Super Jocks, 1998
Education
- Attended Woodward AcademyWoodward AcademyWoodward Academy is an independent, co-educational college-preparatory school for grades Pre-Kindergarten to 12 located in College Park, Georgia, within the Atlanta metropolitan area...
, College Park, GeorgiaCollege Park, GeorgiaCollege Park is a city located partly in Fulton County, Georgia and partially in Clayton County, Georgia, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 13,942... - Graduated from Jonesboro High SchoolJonesboro High School (Georgia)Jonesboro High School is a four-year public high school located in Jonesboro, Georgia, United States, as part of the Clayton County School District.-History:...
, Georgia 1979 - Graduated (BBA) from Southern Methodist UniversitySouthern Methodist UniversitySouthern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
(SMU) in 1984 - Graduated (MBA) from Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
Kellogg Graduate School of Management (Executive Master's Program) 1994 - Graduate of Beverly Hills Playhouse School of Acting, and studied under Milton KatselasMilton KatselasMilton Katselas was an American film director and famous Hollywood coach for The Beverly Hills Playhouse...
and Jeff GoldblumJeff GoldblumJeffrey Lynn "Jeff" Goldblum is an American actor. His career began in the mid-1970s and he has appeared in major box-office successes including The Fly, Jurassic Park and its sequel Jurassic Park: The Lost World, and Independence Day... - Studied voice under Ron AndersonRon Anderson (musician)Ron Anderson is a New York City based internationally known musician and composer. He is known for collaborations with many famous musicians, and has a large catalog of releases and compositions.-Molecules:...
Appearances on America's major national talk shows
- Johnny CarsonJohnny CarsonJohn William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
- Larry King LiveLarry King LiveLarry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
- Joan RiversJoan RiversJoan Rivers is an American comedian, television personality and actress. She is known for her brash manner; her loud, raspy voice with a heavy New York accent; and her numerous cosmetic surgeries...
- Good Morning AmericaGood Morning AmericaGood Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
- This MorningThe Early ShowThe Early Show is an American television morning news talk show broadcast by CBS from New York City. The program airs live from 7 to 9 a.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday; most affiliates in the Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones air the show on tape-delay from 7 to 9 a.m. local time. ...
- The Today Show
- CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
Sports TalkSports radioSports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and... - Radio Talk Show Host during 1996 Summer Olympics
- Commentator for the Goodwill GamesGoodwill GamesThe Goodwill Games was an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s...
in MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
Acting credits
- Regular on Search For TomorrowSearch for TomorrowSearch for Tomorrow is an American soap opera which premiered on September 3, 1951 on CBS. The show was moved from CBS to NBC on March 29, 1982. It continued on NBC until the final episode aired on December 26, 1986, a run of thirty-five years. At the time of its final broadcast it was the...
TV Soap - Loveboat
- ABC TV's Actors to Watch Talent and Development Program
- Earth Girls are Easy
- Return of the Killer TomatoesReturn of the Killer TomatoesReturn of the Killer Tomatoes! was the first sequel to Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.-Synopsis:Set twenty five years after the events of Attack of the Killer Tomatoes , the basic plotline is that after the events of the first film...
- Beach Boys MTV video "It's Getting Late"
- Splash videos
- After School TV special nominated for an Emmy entitled "Testing Positive"