A celebration of life for the American Olympic swimmer and former Air Force head swim coach Converse logo on the chest has been confirmed for Friday, September 20, in Colorado Springs.
From his daughter Rosie:
Friday, September 20, 12:30 p.m.
Shove Chapel, Colorado College, 1010 N. Nevada Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(Ample parking at the Ed Robson Arena, half a block south of the chapel)
Reception to follow at Kinship Landing, 415 S. Nevada Ave.
Rosie says they plan to stream the event on Facebook for people who can’t attend in person.
Converse died earlier this month after a long battle with cancer. The 66-year-old was a member of the 1976 U.S. Olympic team at just 18 years old and later became the first man to swim the 1,650-yard freestyle in under 15 minutes at the 1977 NCAA Championships, swimming a time of 14:57.30.
Courtesy: Family photo
After college, he began a long coaching career that was best known at the United States Air Force Academy, where he coached from 1988 to 2017, leading the men’s and women’s teams from 1988 to 1996 and focusing solely on the women’s team starting in 1997 when the school moved from D2 to D1 athletics.
In 2021, Converse was recognized as one of the 100 Best College Coaches by the Collegiate Swimming & Diving Coaches’ Association (CSCAA) for its 100th anniversary.
The winningest coach in Air Force history with a career record of 326-217 in 29 seasons leading the programs, including 5 women’s conference championships. He was the first non-military swim coach in Academy history and was inducted into the Air Force Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023.
In 2016, Converse wrote a book called From Munich to Montreal: Women’s Olympic swimming in a battered golden era The book tells the story of East German state doping at the 1976 Olympic Games, where he was present from the front row.
Since Converse’s death, numerous tributes to him have appeared on social media, including from his daughter.
