Michigan in the Olympics
1972 - Munich
The Munich games brought forth a contingent of twenty-two athletes with U of M connections: four divers, seven swimmers, four gymnasts, three in track, two kayakers and a canoeist. Only seven of the nineteen represented the United States. Diver Micki King recovered from her mishap in Mexico City to win the gold medal in 3 meter diving and place fifth in platform diving. Dick Rydze won the silver medal in platform diving for the U.S. and swimmer Bill Mahony was on Canada's bronze medal winning 400 meter medley relay team.
Dick Rydze, Micki King Hogue, Bill Mahony
Diver Janet Ely returned to Ann Arbor with two fourth place finishes. Laura Kivela, who attended Ann Arbor's Huron High in a U of M sponsored exchange program and trained with Dick Kimball, was on Finland's diving squad. Juan Bello of Peru placed 7th in the 200 meter individual medley in his second Olympic appearance and Jose Aranha anchored two Brazilian relay teams to 4th and 5th place finishes.
Mike Whitaker, Bill Kennedy
In addition to Bill Mahony, three other Canadian Wolverine swimmers competed in Munich. Byron McDonald placed 6th in the 100 meter butterfly but Mike Whitaker and Bill Kennedy did not make the finals in their events. Marilyn Dawson Corson, a Michigan State graduate with Matt Mann family ties to U of M, appeared in her second Olympics. She did not place in the 100 meter butterfly but helped the 4x100 medley relay team to 7th place.
Andrew Hunter, who would earn a masters degree in the U-M College of Engineering in 1975, was Ireland's lone swimmer in Munich. His time of 5:6.09 in 1500-meter freestyle was not good enough to move out of the preliminaries. His son Andrew swam for Great Britain in Beijing in 2008.
Francie Kraker and Jamaicans Kim Rowe and Godfrey Murray represented U of M in track competition at Munich. Rowe was three time Big Ten 440 yard champion, 1972-1974 and anchored the Wolverine mile relay champions in 1972 and 1973. Murray won the Big Ten 120 yard hurdle title in 1972 and 1973. Neither managed to make the finals in Munich. Francie Kraker made a second Olympic appearance, racing in the inaugural Olympic 1500 meter event for women. She advanced to the semifinals with the second fastest all-time U.S. performance in the event.
Godfrey Murray, Kim Rowe, Francie Kraker
Kraker winning U. S. 800 m. national championship, 1970, Madison Square Garden
Four Michigan gymnasts, Bill Mackie, Bruce Medd, Pierre LeClerc, and Richard Bigras made the Canadian team. LeClerc and Bigras, however did not make it to the games when the Canadians decided not to take the full squad to Munich. Medd broke his finger while practicing and was unable to compete.
Bill Mackie, Pierre LeClerc, Richard Bigras
Andras Toro, a naval engineering graduate student who had competed for Hungary in 1964, made the U.S. canoe team. Doug Soules earned a place on the U.S. men's kayak team but did not compete in Munich. Marcia Jones Smoke, making her third Olympic appearance, finished ninth in the women's singles kayak competition. Sperry Jones Rademaker, a competitor in 1968, served as a coach with the kayak squad.
Marcus Plant
William Weigle, a graduate student in meteorology who had taken up race walking just a year earlier, competed for the U.S. in the 50km walk, finishing in 1th place.
Alfonso Qua competed in sailing for the Philippines, racing in the Soling Class, a keelboat with a three-person crew. A 1956 chemical engineering grad, Qua's boat finished in 28th place.
Marcus Plant, professor in the Law School, long-time faculty representative to the Big Ten Conference and a former president of the NCAA, completed a four year term on the U.S. Olympic Committee.
The U-M Results - 1972
| Micki King | ||
| 3 meter diving | 1st | |
| platform diving | 5th | |
| Dick Rydze | ||
| platform diving | 2nd | |
| Janet Ely | ||
| 3 meter diving | 4th | |
| platform diving | 4th | |
| Bill Mahony (Canada) | ||
| 400 m. medley relay | 3rd | |
| 100 m. breaststroke | made semi-finals | |
| 200 m. breaststroke | made semi-finals | |
| Jose Aranha (Brazil) | ||
| 4x100 medley relay | 5th | |
| 4x100 freestyle relay | 4th | |
| Juan Bello (Peru) | ||
| 200 m. ind. medley | 7th | |
| 100 m. butterfly | made semi-finals | |
| 100 m. freestyle | made semi-finals | |
| Byron McDonald (Canada) | ||
| 100 m. butterfly | 6th | |
| 200 m. butterfly | did not place | |
| Mike Whitaker (Canada) | ||
| 100 m. breaststroke | did not place | |
| 200 m. breaststroke | did not place | |
| Bill Kennedy (Canada) | ||
| 200 meter backstroke | did not place | |
| 4x100 m. medley relay | swam preliminary heat, Canada won bronze medal | |
| Andrew Hunter (Ireland) | ||
| 100 meter freestyle | did not place | |
| Laura Kivela (Finland) | ||
| platform diving | did not place | |
| 3 meter diving | did not place | |
| Francie Kraker | ||
| 1500 meters | advanced to semi-finals | |
| Godfrey Murray (Jamaica) | ||
| hurdles | did not place | |
| Kim Rowe (Jamaica) | ||
| 4x100 m. relay | did not place | |
| Marilyn Corson (Canada) | ||
| 100 m. butterfly | did not place | |
| 4x100 m. medley relay | 7th | |
| Andras Toro | ||
| 1000 m. canoe | did not place | |
| Marcia Jones Smoke | ||
| kayak | 9th | |
| Sperry Jones Rademaker | ||
| assistant coach, kayak team | ||
| Doug Soules | ||
| kayaking | did not compete | |
| Alfonso Qua (Philippines) | ||
| Sailing - Soling Class | 28th place | |
| William Weigle | ||
| 50km race-walk | 17th place | |
| Bill Mackie, Bruce Medd, Pierre LeClerc, and Richard Bigras were selected for the Canadian gymnastics team. Only Medd competed in Munich. | ||
Photo Credits:
- Micki King, Ath. Dept., Box 43, 1966-1968, BHL
- Dick Rydze, Ath. Dept., Box 43, 1971-1972, BHL
- Bill Mahony, Ath. Dept., Box 43, 1971-1972, BHL
- Juan Bello, Ath. Dept., Box 43, 1969-1970, BHL
- Jose Arahna, Ath. Dept., Box 43, 1972-1975, BHL
- Mike Whitaker, Ath. Dept., Box 43, 1971-1972, BHL
- Bill Kennedy, Ath. Dept., Box, 1971-1972, BHL
- Kim Rowe, Ath. Dept., Box 41, 1974-1975, BHL
- Godfrey Murray, Ath. Dept., Box 43, 1971, BHL
- Francie Kraker, courtesy of Francie Kraker Goodridge
- Bill Mackie, Ath. Dept., Box 32, BHL
- Pierre Leclerc, Ath. Dept., Box 32, BHL
- Richard Bigras, Ath. Dept., Box 32, BHL
- Marcus Plant, Faculty Portrait Collection, BHL
Table of Contents | 1968-Mexico City | 1976-Montreal | Name Index