We are talking Race of the Century, and it happened in Indiana.
Not cars at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, sprinters on IUPUI’s track, swimmers at the Natatorium, or harness racing featuring Dan Patch.
“Tarzan” was in town.
Before Johnny Weissmuller played the fictional ape man of movies and TV, he was a swimmer. Greatest swimmer of the first half of the 20th century, in fact, and ranking with Michael Phelps, Mark Spitz and Ian Thorpe among the greatest ever.
If Weissmuller had competed under the modern program, he might have won seven gold medals at one Olympics before Phelps or Spitz did. Weissmuller retired undefeated, featuring five Olympic golds and 67 world records.
One hundred years ago, he raced at Broad Ripple Park — then a whites-only pool — in the men’s U.S. Olympic Trials. Symmetry was irresistible to organizers bringing the trials to Lucas Oil Stadium from June 15-23.
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In a city that has held world championships in five sports, a Super Bowl, a Pan American Games, college football’s national championship and 11 Final Fours, now we have swimming in a football stadium.
Indy to Paris, 1924.
Indy to Paris, 2024.
In a century of the Olympic Trials, this will be the seventh for Indianapolis, more than any other city. Besides 1924 (men) and 1952 (women) at Broad Ripple Park, the Natatorium was the venue in 1984, 1992, 1996 and 2000.
The 100-meter freestyle was the marquee event 100 years ago. A story in The Indianapolis Times, published June 2, 1924, set the lineup:
>> Weissmuller, just turned 20, holder of 50 world and American records.
>> Duke Kahanamoku, 33, gold medalist in the 100 freestyle at Stockholm 1912 and Antwerp 1920. He became better known for popularizing the sport of surfing.
>> Sam Kahanamoku, 21, brother of Duke.
>> Norman Ross, 28, triple gold medalist at 1920 Olympics.
>> Warren Kealoha, 21, defending Olympic gold medalist in the 100 backstroke who went on to repeat in that event in Paris.
Weissmuller finished first in 59 2-5 seconds, or about two seconds slower than the world record he had set Feb. 17 at Miami. However, he was a second faster than the Olympic record set by Duke Kahanamoku in 1920.
Duke and Sam Kahanamoku finished second and third, respectively. The three reprised that finish at the Paris Olympics, sweeping the medals.
The Times reported:
“If there was any doubt in some minds that Johnny Weissmuller was king of the sprinters in the water, it was dispelled Thursday at Broad Ripple pool where the final Olympic swim trials are being held. Weissmuller is clearly in a class by himself — one of those athletic marvels who stand out alone in his almost superhuman ability to flash through the water faster than any one ever has known to travel before.
“It was the first meeting between Duke Kahanamoku of Hawaii, now representing the Los Angeles Athletic Club, and Weissmuller. The Duke was the sprint champion before Johnny appeared upon the scene.
“Although the Chicago paddler has broken all existing records from 100 yard to 500 meters in his sensational swimming, there were a few skeptics who thought maybe the Duke could win if the two were brought together. The doubting ones are silenced. Perhaps the two fastest swimmers in the world met Thursday at Broad Ripple, and it was Weissmuller all the way.”
The next day, Weissmuller twice lowered the world record in the 50-meter freestyle, then not part of the Olympic program. He clocked 25 4-5 seconds in the heats — under the mark of 27.0 — and 25 1-5 in the final.
Journalists didn’t often quote athletes in those days, but The Times quoted Weissmuller — ever so succinctly.
According to the newspaper account:
“Let us snap you down there in the water,” said The Times representative. “Make it snappy,” said Johnny, and the photographer caught the world’s greatest swimmer right “at home.”
***
Weissmuller’s story is that of an immigrant finding glory in his adopted country.
He was born June 2, 1904, in what was then Austria-Hungary and is now part of Romania. The family emigrated to the United States in 1905, arriving at Ellis Island after a 12-day voyage. They lived in Pennsylvania, then relocated to Chicago.
When Weismuller was 9, he contracted polio, and a doctor recommended swimming to enhance recovery. He learned to swim at Fullerton Beach on Lake Michigan, and soon began winning races. After his father deserted, he quit school in eighth grade to work in support of his mother and younger brother.
But he kept swimming. In the 1921 AAU nationals, at age 17, he set his first two world records, in the 100-meter and 150-yard freestyles. He broke Duke Kahanamoku’s world record in the 100-meter freestyle in 1922, and would go on to hold the world record for 12 years.
From Indianapolis, he went to the Paris Olympics and won three gold medals: 100- and 400-meter freestyles, 4x200 freestyle relay. Don Schollander, in 1964, is the only other man to win golds in both 100 and 400 freestyles at the same Olympics. Weissmuller also won a bronze medal in water polo.
In between Olympics, in 1927, Weissmuller set a world record of 51.0 in the 100-yard freestyle, a mark that stood for 17 years and was perhaps his greatest achievement. In 1940, at age 36, he swam the distance in 48.5 but wasn’t credited with a record because he was competing as a pro.
In 1928, he repeated as Olympic champion in the 100 free and 4x200 relay. Only other two-time gold medalists in the 100 free are Duke Kahanamoku (1912-20), Alexander Popov (1992-96) and Pieter van den Hoogenband (2000-04).
As an actor, Weissmuller played Tarzan, a character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, in 12 movies from 1932 to 1948. He later starred in 16 “Jungle Jim” moves and 26 half-hour episodes of a TV series.
He died Jan. 20. 1984. He was 79. A recording of his trademark Tarzan yell was played as his coffin was lowered, at his request.
***
In an era of segregation, Blacks were not welcome at Broad Ripple Park. However, Hawaiians like the Kahanamoku brothers and Kealoha were.
Nine Hawaiians gave a swimming exhibition and sang native songs, accompanied by ukeleles and guitars, at the Hoosier Athletic Club.
At that time, Black swimmers in Indianapolis swam at Douglass Park.
“But only in Douglass Park. Not Broad Ripple,” said Willie Merriweather, the former Crispus Attucks and Purdue basketball player, in the book “The Real Hoosiers,” by Jack McCallum.
Chess master Bernard Parham, another Attucks graduate, organized matches with white captains of other Indianapolis schools, in matches at Douglass Park.
“We couldn’t go to places like Broad Ripple Park, or they’d kick us out,” Parham said in a 2022 interview.
Broad Ripple Park was once one of Midwest’s top entertainment centers, a destination for swimming, boating and fishing. It opened July 4, 1884, with a patriotic display of fireworks and balloon ascensions.
In 1906, the site became an amusem*nt park featuring a roller coaster, midway, miniature boats and Venetian canal. The park burned to the ground in 1908, leaving only the four-acre swimming pool.
The park was rebuilt, then sold in 1922 to the Broad Ripple Amusem*nt Co., which touted the park as “Nature’s Gift to the Amusem*nt World.” Among additions were a roller coaster, carousel, arcades, pony track, baseball diamonds, football field, two bathhouses, miniature train and 10,000-square-foot dance hall.
Baur Carbonic Co. owner Oscar Baur purchased controlling interest in 1924, intending to make it “the show spot of the city,” Baur said.
In 1945, the City of Indianapolis purchased the 60-acre park, dismantled the rides and redeveloped the site into a city park.
***
Weissmuller was the marquee name of the trials, also winning the 200 freestyle in 2:19 3-5. That was not an Olympic event but secured his spot in the relay.
He held the world record in the 200 free for 13 years, lowering it to 2:15.6 in 1922, 2:15.2 in 1925 and 2:08.0 in 1927. No one bettered it until 1935.
Other Broad Ripple winners:
>> 400 freestyle, Lester Smith, 5:23.0.
>> 1,500 freestyle, Richard Howell, 22:35 1-5.
>> 100 backstroke, Kealoha, 1:13.0.
>> 200 breaststroke, Bob Skelton, 2:56 3-5.
The sport has changed so drastically in 100 years that none of those times would even qualify for the women’s trials in 1924.
Women’s trials that year were held separately, at Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. Making the U.S. team was Euphrasia “Fraze” Donnelly, a 19-year-old from Indianapolis. In Paris, she won a gold medal as part of a U.S. team setting a world record in the 4x100 freestyle relay.
Broad Ripple’s trials were held in conjunction with non-Olympic events and an Indiana/Kentucky meet. At the meet’s conclusion, the Indianapolis Star reported:
“This brings the local event to a close with three new Olympic records and one new world’s record created here. It is the greatest distinction Indianapolis has ever had in water sports and should make the 125 swimmers from every part of the United States and its possessions, the officials and Paul R. Jordan, director, feel proud.
“Besides, it is a justification of the officials who conceived the plan to hold all the Olympic tryouts at one place instead, as formerly, in various cities.”
Contact IndyStar correspondent David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: USA Swimming Trials back in Indianapolis 100 years later
