Former United States Olympic and Michigan swim coach Jon Urbanchek dies at 87
FULLERTON, Calif. (AP) — Jon Urbanchek, an International Swimming Hall of Famer who was an assistant for several United States Olympic teams and led Michigan to a national championship, has died. He was 87.
Urbanchek died Thursday surrounded by family. No cause of death was given.
Urbanchek was born in Hungary. After Soviet troops attacked during the 1956 revolution, he immigrated to the U.S. and enrolled at the University of Michigan, where he helped the swimming program win national titles in 1959 and 1961.
Urbanchek was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2008.
Urbanchek led the Wolverines from 1982-2004, winning an NCAA title in 1995 when they won a 10th straight Big Ten championship to boost his total to 13 conference titles, after coaching at Long Beach State.
His success at the college level led to international opportunities. Urbanchek was an assistant coach at five straight Olympics from 1988 to 2004, and a special assistant at the 2008 and 2012 Games. He led the Americans at the 1994 and 1998 world championships.