Many times USA Olympic Swim Coach, Jon Urbanchek’s 50-year career included a stop at Anaheim High between 1964 and 1978, an era when the Colonist swimming and water polo teams achieved CIF championships and All American honors.
Many of his Anaheim athletes went on to play water polo and swim on NCAA Championship teams in college and, indeed, some went on to make their mark internationally.
More importantly, he instilled such character traits as self-discipline, courage and humility in the students he coached, attributes that remained with his players throughout their lives to help them achieve success in other endeavors.
Shortly after leaving Anaheim High, he served as head swim coach at Long Beach State for four years. During that time he also coached the US Olympic team to a 2nd place finish behind his native Hungary at the 1979 FINA Men’s Water Polo World Cup. In 1981, he was named Pacific Coast Athletic Association Coach of the Year.
It would be at his alma mater, University of Michigan, where he served at head swim coach that Jon Urbanchek’s world class capabilities began to fully blossom.
John earned a scholarship to the university upon leaving his native country of Hungary following his participation in the 1956 Olympic Games. With Jon in the pool for Michigan, the school won NCAA Championships in 1958, 1959 and 1961.
It was 34 years later that he again made a big splash for the Michigan swim program. Between 1981 until his retirement 2004, Jon would lead Michigan to the Big Ten National Championship starting in 1995. He continued to deliver unprecedented results, achieving 10 continuous years of Big Ten Championships, which came to be called the “Decade of Dominance,” a legendary track record of success unmatched before and unlikely to be matched again in the history of college swimming.
A true legend among swimming coaches, Urbanchek was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame 2008 and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame 2010.
At the Olympic level, Urbanchek coached 44 USA Olympians with 11 Gold medals including four world record holders. He was named to coach the 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympic teams. After his retirement from Michigan in 2004, he continued to coach the high performance team of Club Wolverine in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in preparation for the 2008 Olympics.
Urbanchek isn’t not done yet. In 2010 he returned to Orange County and is now in Fullerton, where he is directing the USOC’s training center in preparation for the London Olympics in 2012.
Jon has settled in their old in home in Fullerton. His wife Melanie, a professor at the University of Michigan School of Medicine, continues to work in Ann Arbor. Their daughter Kirsten (Michigan grad 1991) lives in Lutherville, Maryland, with her daughter Claire.
Not only has Jon made huge contributions to the United States Olympic efforts, he has enriched and enhanced the lives of countless young men, by his example, by his leadership and character.
