Legendary 1984 Trio of Coaches Inducted into Canadian Hall of Fame

The Canadian Swim Coaches and Teachers Association has inducted 3 new members into its Hall of Fame the 2016 Canadian Swimming Congress.

• Clifford Barry
• Dr. Jeno Tihanyi
• Paul Meronen

The three coaches represent Canada’s 1984 Olympic gold medalists – Victor Davis, Alex Baumann, and Anne Ottenbrite. Those 1984 Olympics were the most successful in the history of Canadian swimming.

The recently-created Hall of Fame now has 6 members – the three new inductees join Deryk Snelling, Howard Firby, and Nick Thierry.

“The CSCTA is proud to recognize three more amazing coaches with their induction to the CSCTA Hall of Fame,” said CSCTA Executive Director Chris Hindmarch-Watson. “Coaches Tihanyi, Barry and Meronen all led their athletes to Olympic gold in 1984 and it was special to recognize them all together.”

Barry was not a competitive swimmer, but a two-time Olympic water polo player for Canada at the 1972 & 1976 Games. He was a standout on the team for many years, learning the importance of team discipline and quality training. He was known as a no-nonsense but sensitive coach. Barry coached the late Victor Davis, who at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games won a gold medal in the 200-m breaststroke.

Tihanyi, who was inducted posthumously, began coaching Alex Baumann when this prodigy was only nine years old. Baumann is arguably the greatest Canadian swimmer of all time, winning two gold medals at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles by shattering two world and Olympic records in the 400-m and 200-m individual medley. From 1981 to 1986, Baumann held 17 world records. Dr. Tihanyi’s career in coaching spanned more than 30 years, fourteen of which were with Baumann.

Meronen was Anne Ottenbrite’s coach during Los Angeles 1984. Ottenbrite brought home a gold medal in the 200-m breaststroke during those Games with Meronen as her coach.

Each recipient received a personalized giclee print by Canadian artist Mark Farand. The CSCTA commissioned Farrand in 2014 to create a unique piece to recognize Hall of Fame inductees.

The CSCTA contributed to this report.