Auburn Legends: Rowdy Gaines

Published in The Auburn Plainsman on June 28, 2006

            

            Auburn’s athletic history is rich in talented student athletes. Some stick out in history more than others for their success after college. A select few were given the chance to impress the entire world with their immense skill and passion for their sport.

            Rowdy Gaines became a swimming legend after winning three gold medals in the 1984 Summer Olympics. If not for the boycott of the 1980 Olympics, he may have won several more. He was a five-time NCAA individual champion before that, and held eleven world records when he graduated in 1981. He is now a member of the International Swimming, U.S. Olympic, Alabama and Florida Halls of Fame.

            Ambrose “Rowdy” Gaines IV was born Feb. 17, 1959 in Winter Haven, Fla. Not having a middle name, his father gave him the nickname after the Clint Eastwood character Rowdy Yates in the old western TV show, “Raw Hide.”

            “My father thought it was good nickname and it’s stuck for all these years,” Gaines said.

            He didn’t start swimming seriously until his junior year of high school. He tried out for four different sports, being cut from each team. It was then that he decided to try swimming, and the rest they say is history.

            “The day I tried out for the high school swim team was when I fell in love and had an undying passion for it,” he said. “I never thought I’d be going to the Olympics, but I certainly knew this was the sport I was going to have the most success in.”

            The coaching staff took notice after just one season, but it wasn’t long after his freshman year at Auburn that Coach Eddie Reese left for the University of Texas. Richard Quick was hired soon afterward.

            “When Richard was first hired, we gave him the nickname of the Smiling Cobra. He would come in for practice everyday with a huge smile on his face. He was always in great mood and so personable. You just couldn’t help but fall in love with him instantly,” he said. “I’ll tell you though, he kicked some butt in the water. He never let up during the course of a practice. He’d come in with all smiles, and then he’d kill us.  

            Despite everything Gaines has accomplished, some of his fondest memories are from the time he spent at Auburn. The team became a family away from home. His teammates were like his brothers and sisters.

            “Those memories mean more to me than breaking records and winning gold medals,” he said. “I say that with all sincerity, because I couldn’t tell you what my best time was. I barely remember what events I’ve won, but I certainly remember all my teammates and the bonds we shared.”

            Even before Gaines graduated, he was considered the favorite to beat any competition the rest of the world had to offer. The Cold War prevented his participation in Moscow however. What could’ve been depressing and disheartening news didn’t bother Gaines much at all. It wasn’t until 1984 that he knew what he had missed out on four years earlier.

            He took advantage of his first opportunity by winning three gold medals, and solidifying himself as one of the top Olympic performers of all time.

            “Swimming doesn’t have a Super Bowl or World Series,” he said. “The pinnacle of success is the Olympics. That’s our Super Bowl, and it only happens once every four years. The secret of my success was pure and simple, I was super motivated to succeed and represent my country well.”

            It wasn’t long after this that he got his first chance to talk about the sport he loves on television in 1986. He is now considered “The Voice of Swimming,” for covering almost every major swimming event since then. He will lend his voice to his fifth Olympics next summer.  

            “I’ve always been good at flapping my mouth,” he said. “It’s something I may not be the best at, but no one has more passion for swimming than I do. I think that’s why I’ve been so successful at it, and why I keep coming back.”

            Like almost every life story, there is always a low point that comes unexpectantly. For Gaines it came in August 1991, where he was temporarily paralyzed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome. An auto-immune virus that affects the peripheral nervous system that kept him hospitalized for two months. His full recovery was attributed mostly to how healthy he was, but a six-month rehabilitation was required to return to normalcy.

            “I had to relearn how to do everything. You have to start out like a baby,” he said. “The first day I got out of the hospital, I told my wife to take me to a pool. Being in the water was like being reborn. The water was so soothing, and I felt like I was back where I am the most comfortable. I knew that part of my rehab would have to be in the water. I think it accelerated my recovery.”

            Ever since then, Gaines has been a busy man. He proved he could still swim competitively by winning the 100 meter freestyle and 4x100 meter freestyle medley relay one year later in the World Masters Championship. He also became the oldest swimmer to qualify for the 1996 Olympic trials in Atlanta.

            He was the Outreach Director for the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in Birmingham for six years before accepting a job from USA Swimming. He is now the Chief Fundraising and Alumni Officer.

            As if that isn’t enough, he is on the road frequently to set up clinics for swim teams, including one he has in Auburn the last 10 years.

            “It’s a way for me to give back to the sport that has touched my life like no other,” he said. “Teaching is very rewarding.”

            He also is also motivational speaker who gets 10-15 invitations a year.

            He currently resides in Colorado Springs, Col. with his wife Judy and four daughters: Emily, Madison, Savanna and Isabella. None of which are too interested in swimming.

            “I’m on the road two or three weeks a month,” he said. “Traveling takes its toll sometimes because I’m fairly obsessed with my family. Some people ask what I do outside of work, and there’s nothing else I can do but be with my family. All the traveling can be hard, but I try to take them with me sometimes.”

            The story of Rowdy Gaines should be an inspiration to anyone no matter what their dreams are. He didn’t start swimming until he was 17 years old. He still achieved the highest level of success.

            “As cliché as this may sound, it’s never too late to achieve your dreams,” he said. “We all have dreams, and I’m living proof that you should never give up. I tried multiple sports in high school and got cut from all of them. I never gave up though.”