Bruce Furniss (2001) - USC Athletics Hall of Fame

Bruce Furniss

Induction:
2001
Class:
1979

Bruce Furniss is one of USC’s most prolific swimmers. A 4-year All-American (1976-79), he won 6 NCAA titles--2 individual crowns (the 200-yard freestyle in 1977 and 1978) and 4 as a member of Troy’s 400 and 800 freestyle relays (in 1976 and 1977). His efforts helped USC to the 1976 and 1977 NCAA team championships. A 10-time world record holder, he also won 10 conference titles and 9 AAU crowns. After his freshman year, he won 2 gold medals in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal (in the 200-meter freestyle and swimming a leg on the United States’ 800 freestyle relay, both in world record time). He also was on the victorious U.S. 400 free relay squad at the 1978 World Championships. He did all this despite being hampered with a painful arthritic condition (ankylosis spondylitis). In 2016, he was named to the Pac-12 All-Century team. He won an NCAA Silver Anniversary Award in 2004 and was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 2020. He is a member of the Orange County Sports Hall of Fame. He has 3 Trojan aquatic siblings: older brothers, Steve, an Olympic bronze medalist who won 4 NCAA individual medley titles, and Chip, a 3-time All-American swimmer, and younger brother, Craig, a 2-time All-American on the water polo team (and USC’s co-valedictorian). After his swimming career, Bruce was a commercial real estate broker.