 Clotworthy at the 1952 Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Lynn Clotworthy | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | May 8, 1931 Newark, New Jersey, U.S.[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | June 1, 2018 (aged 87) Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (160 cm)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 132 lb (60 kg)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Diving | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | New York Athletic Club[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Robert Lynn Clotworthy (May 8, 1931 – June 1, 2018)[2] was an American diver. He competed in the 3 m springboard at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics and won a bronze and a gold medal, respectively. He also won two medals at the 1955 Pan American Games. In 1980 he was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.[3]
Clotworthy was born in Newark, New Jersey and grew up in nearby Westfield. He began training for his Olympic career in high school, spending hours each day practicing dives and perfecting them. Clotworthy dove for the Westfield High School team, Plainfield Swim Club and Westfield YMCA, where coaches Ed Gillen and Stan Dudeck coached him. When he competed for the Olympics, he participated and dove for the New York Athletic Club. He went on to be coached in Ohio State by Mike Peppe. Others who helped Clotworthy during his career were Hobie Billingsley, Phil Moriarty, Charlie Batterman, Glen and Pat McCormick.[4] He competed in the 1955 Pan-American Games in Mexico City, where he met Cynthia Gill, a member of the U.S. swimming team. They married the following year. After retiring from competition, Clotworthy coached at Army, Dartmouth, Princeton, Arizona State, Texas, and New Mexico. From 1981 through 1984, he produced six NAIA champions at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.[5] Clotworthy attended Ohio State University where he majored in Physical Education. He graduated in the 1954, then leading him to retire from diving in 1956 and coaching in August 2006.
