Indiana’s Counsilman, 69, to Retire

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. —  James (Doc) Counsilman, 69, will retire as Indiana University’s swimming coach at the end of the school year, the school announced Thursday.

Counsilman coached the Olympic men’s team in 1964 when it won nine of 11 gold medals, with the other two won by Australian swimmers who attended Indiana. He also coached the Olympic squad in 1976, when it won 12 of 13 gold medals and set 18 world records.

Among his proteges was Mark Spitz, who won seven gold medals in the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Counsilman’s teams won six consecutive national titles beginning in 1968. The Hoosiers had a streak of 20 Big Ten championships, winning 23 conference titles in all.

Indiana has a 282-33-1 dual meet record under Counsilman, including a streak of 140 victories from 1966 to 1979.

In 1979, at 58, Counsilman became the oldest person to swim the English Channel.

A former captain and Big Ten champion at Ohio State, Counsilman arrived at Indiana in 1957.

His plans include rewriting his book, “The Science of Swimming,” which has been in print for 20 years and has been published in more than 20 languages.