Charlie Hodgson
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inducted 2016 |
Charlie Hodgson was front and center for the greatest era in Hurricanes Swimming and helped develop many of UM’s finest. Together with UMSHoF member, head swimming coach Bill Diaz, they led the women’s team to its first National Championship in 1975 in only Charlie’s second year as an assistant. Then, as head women’s coach in 1976, Charlie and the Canes shocked the swimming world by winning back-to-back National Championships!
During his years with the women’s team (1974- 78, 1985-86) the Canes finished in the Top 8 six of out of the seven years. He served as the women’s head coach in 1976-78 and again in 1985-86 where in only one season he brought the team back into the Top 8 for the first time since 1978. As a men’s team assistant, he trained UMSHoF members David Wilkie, Matt Gribble and Jesse Vassallo, all three of whom won World Championship titles, set World Records, won NCAA National titles and competed in the Olympics. Upon the retirement of Coach Diaz in 1984, Charlie assumed the role of head men’s and women’s coach and served for two years.
Of the eleven swimmers who have been inducted into the UM Sports Hall of Fame, Charlie was instrumental in training nine. In 1984, Charlie was selected to be a USA Olympic Swimming Coach for having placed 3 swimmers on the USA team: Hurricanes Matt Gribble and Jesse Vassallo, and 15-year old Michele Richardson, all having started at a young age on Charlie’s Hurricane Swim Club. For his contributions to UM, Charlie was tapped into Iron Arrow, the highest honor attained at the University.
Long viewed as an innovator in the sport, in 1974, Charlie concocted the idea of men and women wearing panty hose after shaving their legs, to replace the effect of leg hair’s drag in the water. That got Charlie and three women’s swimmers featured on the Mike Douglas Show and also got UM a lot of publicity. In 1975, Charlie convinced David Wilkie to radically alter his breaststroke arm technique, a technique still used around the world today and which propelled David to win the gold medal in the 200-meter breaststroke at the 1976 Summer Olympics, bettering the world record by 3.1 seconds, setting a record that stood for over six years. During Hodgson’s 13-year tenure, 17 individual and relay collegiate titles were won by Hurricane swimmers along with dozens of men and women receiving All-American honors.
Seeking to promote and improve the sport, Charlie served as chairman of the AIAW for two years, chairman of the Florida Gold Coast Swimming Committee for many years, and a member of USA Swimming’s Olympic Development Committee. After UM, Charlie developed and continues to write the Hy-Tek computer software that is used worldwide to manage and run swimming meets and track meets with 90% market share in North America. He currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his wife of 37 years, Amy. They have two children and one grandson. Daughter Tara played college soccer at University of San Diego and son Dakota swam at the University of Southern California and will be competing in his third Olympic Swimming Trials in June of 2016
During his years with the women’s team (1974- 78, 1985-86) the Canes finished in the Top 8 six of out of the seven years. He served as the women’s head coach in 1976-78 and again in 1985-86 where in only one season he brought the team back into the Top 8 for the first time since 1978. As a men’s team assistant, he trained UMSHoF members David Wilkie, Matt Gribble and Jesse Vassallo, all three of whom won World Championship titles, set World Records, won NCAA National titles and competed in the Olympics. Upon the retirement of Coach Diaz in 1984, Charlie assumed the role of head men’s and women’s coach and served for two years.
Of the eleven swimmers who have been inducted into the UM Sports Hall of Fame, Charlie was instrumental in training nine. In 1984, Charlie was selected to be a USA Olympic Swimming Coach for having placed 3 swimmers on the USA team: Hurricanes Matt Gribble and Jesse Vassallo, and 15-year old Michele Richardson, all having started at a young age on Charlie’s Hurricane Swim Club. For his contributions to UM, Charlie was tapped into Iron Arrow, the highest honor attained at the University.
Long viewed as an innovator in the sport, in 1974, Charlie concocted the idea of men and women wearing panty hose after shaving their legs, to replace the effect of leg hair’s drag in the water. That got Charlie and three women’s swimmers featured on the Mike Douglas Show and also got UM a lot of publicity. In 1975, Charlie convinced David Wilkie to radically alter his breaststroke arm technique, a technique still used around the world today and which propelled David to win the gold medal in the 200-meter breaststroke at the 1976 Summer Olympics, bettering the world record by 3.1 seconds, setting a record that stood for over six years. During Hodgson’s 13-year tenure, 17 individual and relay collegiate titles were won by Hurricane swimmers along with dozens of men and women receiving All-American honors.
Seeking to promote and improve the sport, Charlie served as chairman of the AIAW for two years, chairman of the Florida Gold Coast Swimming Committee for many years, and a member of USA Swimming’s Olympic Development Committee. After UM, Charlie developed and continues to write the Hy-Tek computer software that is used worldwide to manage and run swimming meets and track meets with 90% market share in North America. He currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his wife of 37 years, Amy. They have two children and one grandson. Daughter Tara played college soccer at University of San Diego and son Dakota swam at the University of Southern California and will be competing in his third Olympic Swimming Trials in June of 2016
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