Pat McCormick (diver)

Patricia Joan Keller McCormick (May 12, 1930 – March 7, 2023) was an American competitive diver who won both diving events at two consecutive Summer Olympics, in 1952 and 1956. She won the James E. Sullivan Award for best amateur athlete in the US in 1956 – the second woman to do so, after Ann Curtis.

Pat McCormick
McCormick in 1957
Personal information
Full namePatricia Joan McCormick
Born(1930-05-12)May 12, 1930
Seal Beach, California, U.S.[1]
DiedMarch 7, 2023(2023-03-07) (aged 92)
Orange County, California, U.S.
Height162 cm (5 ft 4 in)
Weight58 kg (128 lb)
Sport
SportDiving
ClubLos Angeles Athletic Club
Medal record
Women's diving
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1952 Helsinki Springboard
Gold medal – first place 1952 Helsinki Platform
Gold medal – first place 1956 Melbourne Springboard
Gold medal – first place 1956 Melbourne Platform
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1951 Buenos Aires Platform
Gold medal – first place 1955 Mexico City Springboard
Gold medal – first place 1955 Mexico City Platform
Silver medal – second place 1951 Buenos Aires Springboard

As a child in the 1930s and 1940s she was notable for executing dives that were not allowed in competition for female divers (dives reputed to scare most men) and for practicing off the Los Alamitos Bridge in Long Beach, California Harbor.[2] She attended Woodrow Wilson Classical High School, Long Beach City College, and California State University, Long Beach.[3]

After the Olympics McCormick did diving tours and was a model for Catalina swimwear. She served on the Los Angeles 1984 Summer Olympics organizing committee and began a program called "Pat's Champs"—a foundation to help motivate kids to dream big and to set practical ways to succeed.[4] McCormick's husband, Glenn, was a diving coach for her, as well as for other Olympic diving medalists. They divorced after 24 years of marriage. He died in 1995. They had two children, Tim, born in 1956, just five months before McCormick won two gold medals at the Melbourne Olympics, and Kelly (born 1960), who won two Olympic medals (silver, bronze) in diving.[1] McCormick once appeared on an episode of To Tell the Truth in 1957 (she appeared as an imposter) and on an episode of You Bet Your Life (#58-28, aired April 2, 1959).

McCormick died in Orange County, California, on March 7, 2023, at the age of 92.[5]

See also

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Pat McCormick". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020.
  2. "Amazing Moments in Olympic History: Pat & Kelly McCormick". TeamUSA.org. United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on January 30, 2010. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
  3. "Going For Gold". Beach. California State University, Long Beach: 15. Summer–Fall 2016.
  4. Carpenter, Eric (August 3, 2008). "Memories as good as gold". The Orange County Register. pp. News 6.
  5. Aguilar, Robert (March 8, 2023). "Seal Beach's Olympic Icon Pat McCormick has passed away". The Seal Beach Sun. Retrieved March 9, 2023.

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