Dick Cleveland
{{Short description|American swimmer (1929–2002)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox swimmer
| name = Dick Cleveland
| image = Dick Cleveland 1954.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption = Cleveland in 1954
| fullname = Richard Fitch Cleveland
| nicknames = "Dick," "Spoofy"
| national_team = {{USA}}
| strokes = Freestyle
| club = Hawaii Swim Club
| coach = Soichi Sakamoto
(Hawaii Swim Club)
Mike Peppe
(Ohio State)
| collegeteam = Ohio State University
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1929|9|21|mf=yes}}
| birth_place = Honolulu, Hawaii
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2002|7|27|1929|9|21|mf=y}}
| death_place = Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
| spouse = Pauline
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalCountry | United States}}
{{MedalCompetition | Pan American Games}}
{{MedalGold | 1951 Buenos Aires | 100 m freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | 1951 Buenos Aires | 4×200 m freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | 1951 Buenos Aires | 3×100 m medley}}
{{MedalCountry | Ohio State }}
{{MedalCompetition|NCAA}}
{{MedalGold | 1953 Columbus | 300 yard medley relay}}
{{MedalGold | 1954 Syracuse | Team title}}
{{MedalGold | 1954 Syracuse | 50 yard freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | 1954 Syracuse | 100 yard freestyle}}
}}
Richard Fitch Cleveland (September 21, 1929 – July 27, 2002) was a Hawaiian-born American competition Hall of Fame swimmer, three-time Pan American Games champion, and former world record-holder in the 100 meters and 100 yard events. He attended Ohio State University, and was one of the early competitive swimmers to benefit from the use of weight training in the off season. He later worked as a real estate broker
High School swimming
He swam for Honolulu's Punahou School, a highly competitive team coached by Bobby Rath."Puns Enter 18 Merman in Swim Go", Honolulu Star Bulletin, Honolulu, Hawaii, 8 May 1946, pg. 12 He placed second overall in May 1947 in Punahou's Thurston Meet in the Senior Academy division winning the 50-yard backstroke in 30.8 seconds and the 75-yard Individual Medley in 46 seconds."Punahou Boys Swim Champs Named", The Honolulu Advertiser, Honolulu, Hawaii, 15 May 1947, pg. 15 He received his most structured and challenging training from Hall of Fame Coach Soichi Sakamoto where he competed with the Hawaii Swim Club in Honolulu. In his career, Sakamoto coached five Olympians and served as an Assistant Coach at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics.{{cite web |url=https://www.ishof.org/honoree/honoree-soichi-sakamoto/ |title=Soichi Sakamoto (USA): Honor Coach (1966) |website=ISHOF.org |publisher=International Swimming Hall of Fame}}
Ohio State
After graduating Punahou in 1947, where he also was on the school's Golf Team,Fong, Albert, "43 Athletes Leave Punahou", Honolulu Star Bulletin, Honolulu, Hawaii, 9 June 1947, pg. 11 Cleveland served in the Army while weight training for a year with athlete Moki Kealoha at the Schofield Barracks army base in Honolulu. He attended University of Hawaii for a year where he continued to be coached by Soichi Sakamoto. He then transferred to Ohio State University, where he swam for the Ohio State Buckeyes swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). While managed by Hall of Fame Coach Mike Peppe at Ohio State, Cleveland’s achievements grew. He captured four NCAA national titles including the 50-yard freestyle in 1952, three Big Ten Conference titles, and was a six-time AAU First Team All-American.
A short distance freestyle specialist, Cleveland held four world records at the same time during the 1950s. These included the 100-yard freestyle, the 75-yard freestyle, the 400-meter relay, and the 100-meter freestyle. In his career, he held ten American records. An army friend suggested he train with weights, and it improved his swimming career as a sprinter. He lifted weights under the training regiment of Moki Kealoha, an accomplished athlete."Richard Cleveland, Olympian, Hawaii Hall of Fame", The Honolulu Advertiser, Honolulu, Hawaii, 30 July 2002, pg. 21Gee, Pat, "Islander Helped Make Weight Training Integral Part of Competitive Swimming", Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Honolulu, Hawaii, 30 July 2002, pg. 12 (A10)
International highlights
At the 1951 Pan American Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he won gold medals in the men's 3×100-meter medley relay, 4×200-meter freestyle relay, and 100-meter freestyle. At the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, he competed in the 100-meter freestyle but failed to reach the final. He retired from competitions around 1960.
He met his wife Pauline in High School while she attended Sacred Hearts Academy, in Honolulu and married around 1955 during his competitive swimming career.
Post-swimming career
In 1963 he served on the Executive Committee of the Hawaii Athletic Sponsors, tasked with managing public relations for the organization."Hawaii Athletic Sponsors Organized", The Honolulu Advertiser, Honolulu, Hawaii, 4 September 1963, pg. 15 He later worked as a real estate broker in Maui, with his business Inter-Island Real Estate, Inc., a career from which he retired. As late as 1990, Cleveland was still involved in selling real estate and acting as a broker in Hawaii, largely on Maui. In 1995, he and his wife Pauline moved to the larger island of Hawaii, likely from Maui where he grew up in Honolulu."Singer Has Designs on Maui", The Honolulu Advertiser, Honolulu, Hawaii, 21 March 1990, pg. 24 In his retirement, he was an avid golfer, and became a skilled player.
Honors
See also
References
{{reflist|refs=
{{cite web |url=http://www.ishof.org/richard-cleveland.html |title=Richard Cleveland (USA) |website=ISHOF.org |publisher=International Swimming Hall of Fame |access-date=2015-03-15 |archive-date=2016-06-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624034825/http://www.ishof.org/richard-cleveland.html |url-status=dead }}
}}
{{Footer USA Swimming 1952 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer Pan American Champions 100 m Freestyle Men}}
{{Footer Pan American Champions 4x200 m Freestyle Men}}
{{Footer Pan American Champions 4x100 m Medley Men}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleveland, Dick}}
Category:American male freestyle swimmers
Category:World record setters in swimming
Category:Ohio State Buckeyes men's swimmers
Category:Swimmers from Honolulu
Category:Swimmers at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic swimmers for the United States
Category:Swimmers at the 1951 Pan American Games
Category:Medalists at the 1951 Pan American Games
Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in swimming