Julian: Aquatic center was UT's start

Photo by News Sentinel

Tennessee divers Shannon Roy, Gabi Chereches, Kathy Pesek and Jane Woodard, from left, pose for a photo while sitting on a diving board at UT’s Student Aquatic Center in 1998.

Tennessee divers Shannon Roy, Gabi Chereches, Kathy Pesek and Jane Woodard, from left, pose for a photo while sitting on a diving board at UT’s Student Aquatic Center in 1998.

UT Student Aquatic Center - the Biltmore Estate of swimming in the Southeast when it opened in 1967 - has been forsaken for a new model.

A grand opening for the $24 million Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center is scheduled 7-9 p.m. Aug. 16. A reception, dedication ceremony and brief diving exhibition are in the plans for those attending - by invitation only.

The new pool is a beauty, and already has been put to good use - USA Spring Masters National Diving Championships and Pilot Aquatic Invitational at the same time (May 6-19) and the U.S. Olympic selection camp for diving, which ends today.

If the new aquatic center has nearly as many thrills as UT Student Aquatic Center provided, the future will be bright.

What memories ... 40 years of them.

Tennessee's Vols and Lady Vols have had their exciting moments in SAC's Ray Bussard Pool. However, SAC will continue to serve the UT students, faculty and staff.

"In the past, the students had to share time with swimmers and divers," said Tiffany Carpenter, director of public relations for UT athletics. "Now, students, faculty and staff will have much more time available."

SAC's magnificent indoor-outdoor swimming and diving complex opened during the summer months of 1967.

Coach John Trembley's Vols and Matt Kredich's Lady Vols concluded the 2007-08 dual-meet season against Florida in February. However, they continued to train in the SAC because completion of the new pool was delayed several months.

When UT built the Student Aquatic Center at a cost of $1.7 million, Knoxvillian Frank Dempsey - a former national diving champion who was a high-ranking official with U.S. Diving - provided insight on the project that was designed by Knoxville architects Lindsey & Maples. With the construction of indoor and outdoor pools it was suggested that Tennessee organize a competitive swimming and diving team. Athletic director Bob Woodruff hired Ray Bussard out of Chattanooga. Then a whirlwind of history in aquatics began.

Dempsey was allowed to put together the first competition - the National Junior Diving Championships. While exciting, it turned out to be a bloody mess. A diver from Ohio State and one from South Carolina crashed into the boards, requiring dozens of stitches and overnight stays at UT Medical Center.

Olympic gold medalist and former movie star Johnny Weissmuller (Tarzan) visited the UT pools that summer and declared that no one in the world had a better indoor-outdoor swim facility than UT.

Then Bussard began the first of his 21 seasons with excitement and delivered a 92-5 record for dual meets, many at the SAC. He won his first 69.

One of Bussard's prize pupils, John Trembley, succeeded him as coach and won 70 and lost eight in 19 seasons.

It didn't take Bussard long to get things rolling in the Vols' new showplace. Tennessee's all-freshman team of 1967-68 was runner-up to Florida, which won its 13th consecutive SEC title. SAC also was the site of SEC meets in 1974, '75. '79, '88, '96 and 2006.

Diver Bill Ferry and backstroker Steve Gilliam won UT's first individual SEC titles at SAC.

The next year, Bussard had a freshman sensation named Dave Edgar. Sports Illustrated came calling and named him "The Fastest Man Afloat." He defeated Mark Spitz three years in a row in the NCAA 50 freestyle and became the first Vol to win an Olympic gold medal.

SI also ran a large color photo of two bikini-clad UT co-eds holding flags of the USA and state of Tennessee in a canoe.

The SAC and Tennessee swimming were on the map. Bussard won seven SEC titles in his first nine seasons ... and two of them came at the Aquatic Center.

Throngs came for the Vols' meets against Florida in the 1970s, and the noise was so intense at one meet that a large window near the ceiling cracked.

Another SEC championship meet came to UT in 1973. The Vols won it and Olympic silver medalist Tim McKee of Florida smashed an orange and white garbage can at SAC while Tennessee celebrated another title.

UT hosted the NCAA championships in 1973, and what a memorable meet. Indiana won its sixth consecutive title, but the Vols stole the show and finished runner-up. Trembley beat 1972 Olympian Gary Hall of Indiana head-to-head in the 100-yard butterfly and again in the butterfly leg of the winning 400 medley relay. He also won the 50 and 100 freestyles and swam a leg on the winning 400 freestyle relay. Trembley scored 64 points, an NCAA record.

By the time the 1976 season rolled around the Vols had another Olympic gold medalist in butterflyer Matt Vogel. Melvin Stewart, Tripp Schwenk and Jeremy Linn became SEC, NCAA and Olympic champions through their training at Ray Bussard Pool. And just last week, former Lady Vol Christine Magnuson's hard work at SAC led her to an Olympic Trials championship in the 100-meter butterfly and an August trip to Beijing.

The Vols won the 1978 NCAA championship at Long Beach, Calif., but waited until they got home to celebrate at the Student Aquatic Center.

Bussard fulfilled his promise: Allowed his head to be shaved by the team. Football coach Johnny Majors was one of the surprised visitors who were dunked in the pool. Veteran meet official John Smartt - dripping wet - square danced with Vol Timettes on the wet pool deck as UT's pep band played Rocky Top on and on. Bussard even did a back flip off the 5-meter diving platform.

UT hosted the 1976 Olympic Trials at the outdoor pool as 16-year-old Greg Lougainis and 17-year-old Jennifer Chandler stole the show. Chandler won an Olympic gold at Montreal and Louganis took a silver - just the start of a brilliant career on the boards. He won 47 national titles.

UT spent about a half million to construct a 10-meter diving tower outdoors before the '76 Trials, and built one in SAC in order to host SEC championship meets. With the completion of the Allan Jones pool, UT without a doubt is the only campus in the world with three Olympic-size pools and three 10-meter diving towers.

So, it appears that things have come full circle with the Olympic Selection Camp and training at the Allan Jones aquatic center. In 1976, UT's contribution to the Olympic cause were gold medals for Jenny Chandler and Phil Boggs and a bronze for Cynthia Potter.

Now we wait and see what holds for this year's crop of talented American divers in Beijing.

Roland Julian may be reached at julianr@knoxnews.com.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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