Joe Bottom (2007) - USC Athletics Hall of Fame

Joe Bottom

Induction:
2007
Class:
1977

One of the finest sprinters in USC swimming history, Joe Bottom owns 5 NCAA individual titles and 4 relay crowns. He was a key member of one of college swimming’s greatest dynasties as he was a member of USC’s 4 consecutive NCAA championship teams (1974-75-76-77), earning All-American honors each season and captaining the 1977 Trojans. He was the first swimmer ever to crack 20 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle when he set the school record of 19.70 in 1977. He also set since-broken world records in the 50-meter free and 100 butterfly (eclipsing Mark Spitz’s standard). His NCAA individual titles came in the 50-yard freestyle (1975-76-77), 100 freestyle (1974) and 100 butterfly (1977). He competed in the 1976 Olympics, where he won a silver medal in the 100-meter butterfly, was sixth in the 100 free and also competed in the 400 medley relay for the U.S. He also won the 100 butterfly and the 400 medley relay at the 1978 World Championships, as well as a pair of AAU individual titles and 6 Pac-8 races. He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2016, he was named to the Pac-12 All-Century team. He became a management consultant.