Gary Conelly

{{short description|American swimmer}}

{{Distinguish|Gerry Connolly}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}

{{Infobox swimmer

| name = Gary Conelly

| image =

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| fullname = Gary Robert Conelly

| nicknames =

| national_team = United States

| strokes = Freestyle

| club = Gatorade Swim Club

| collegeteam = Indiana University

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1952|10|18|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Denver, Colorado

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = {{convert|6|ft|2|in|m|abbr=on}}

| weight = {{convert|174|lb|kg|abbr=on}}

| medaltemplates =

}}

Gary Robert Conelly (born October 18, 1952) is an American former swimmer who represented the United States at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. Conelly swam for the winning U.S. teams in the preliminary heats of the men's 4×100-meter freestyle relay and 4×200-meter freestyle relay.{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/gary-conelly-1.html |accessdate=18 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121214001619/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/gary-conelly-1.html |archivedate=14 December 2012 }} Under the 1972 Olympic rules, however, he was ineligible to receive a medal because he did not swim in the final of the relays.

In April 2024, Connelly, who at one point served as the head swim coach at the University of Kentucky, would be named in a Title IX sexual violence lawsuit which accused him of hiring suspected sexual predator Lars Jorgensen, in spite of the fact that he had been informed that Jorgensen had a sexual relationship with a female swim student he had coached while employed at the University of Toledo.{{cite news|url=https://theathletic.com/5410705/2024/04/12/kentucky-swimming-lars-jorgensen-sexual-assault-allegations/|title=Kentucky accused of 'complicity' as former swim coach allegedly committed sexual violence|first=Katie|last=Strang|publisher=The Athletic|date=2024-04-12}}{{cite news|url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2024/04/13/kentucky-swimming-lars-jorgensen-lawsuit-mitch-barnhart/73312300007/|title=Ex-Kentucky swim coach Lars Jorgensen accused of rape, sexual assault in lawsuit|first=Ryan|last=Black|publisher=Louisville Courier Journal|date=April 13, 2024|accessdate=April 16, 2024}} Emails from June 2012 confirmed that Mark Howard, who previously served at the University of Toledo as an assistant swimming coach, informed both Conelly and University of Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart about the allegation.