He was easily the most famous American swimmer with Oregon ties. Don Schollander (born April 30, 1946) dominated the world of swimming for a short time, but he did so in such a fashion that he was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame before he turned 20.
Schollander grew up in Charlotte, NC and Lake Oswego. He won two state swimming titles in 1960 as a freshman at Lake Oswego High. Schollander, who grew to be 5-foot-11, won two more individual titles as a sophomore before moving to train with the Santa Clara Swim Club in California. Two years later, he won three AAU national titles and qualified for two individual and two relays heading into the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Summer Games. Schollander won gold in all four events, the 100-and 400-meter freeestyle and the 4x100 and 4x200 freestyle relay. The four gold medal wins marked the first time an American had accomplished the feat in any Olympic Games since Jesse Owens in 1936. Don set Olympic records in three of the four events. The U.S. team allowed him to carry the American flag during the Closing Ceremony.
Returning home, Schollander was the toast of the town. The Associated Press named him Athlete of the Year over Johnny Unitas of the Baltimore Colts, and he was also the recipient of the James Sullivan Award for being the nation’s top amateur athlete, the first time a swimmer won the award.
Following the Games, he attended and swam for Yale University, winning three NCAA event titles. He was only 19 when chosen for the International Swimming Hall of Fame and recovered from illness to qualify for the 1968 Summer Games in Mexico City. That trip netted another gold medal in the 4x200 relay and a silver in the individual 200 free.
Schollander returned to Lake Oswego as a real estate developer and to raise a family. He wrote two books in the 1970s, including "Deep Water", which chronicled the politics of international swimming and "Inside Swimming".
Don Schollander is a member of the first class inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1980. He is also a member of the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame.