University Southern California Trojans
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October 12, 2004 | USC Athletics
Oct. 12, 2004
As part of its Class Reunion and Trojan Parents' Weekend celebration, USC will host a special Olympic Games panel this Friday (Oct. 15) from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Embassy Room at USC's Davidson Conference Center.
The panel, entitled "USC Olympians -- A Tradition of Greatness," will include past Olympic stars. The event is co-sponsored by the USC Alumni Association and the USC Athletic Department. To register, please call (213) 740-2300 or stop by the Widney Alumni House prior to the event.
Moderating the panel will be Anita De Frantz, the first woman to represent the United States on the International Olympics Committee and currently an executive member of the U.S. Olympic Committee. She won a bronze medal in the 1976 Montreal Olympics in women's rowing.
Confirmed USC Olympians who will participate on the panel are:
--Peter Clentzos, the oldest living USC Olympian, who competed in the pole vault for the Greek Olympic team in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. On June 6, 2004, at age 95 and a day, he carried the torch around the L.A. Coliseum in anticipation of the Olympic Games in Athens.
--Peter Daland, the retired -- and legendary -- USC swimming coach, a position he held for 35 years beginning in 1958. He is the only swimming coach to have won all three major national team championships -- 9 NCAA, 14 National AAU Men's and 2 National AAU Women's. Daland was head coach for the U.S. Olympic swim team in 1964 (women's) and 1972 (men's).
--Bruce Furniss, a 1979 graduate of USC and a world-class swimmer who, in the span of a 17-year career, broke 10 world and 19 American swimming records. He won two gold medals in the 1976 Montreal Olympics in the 200-meter freestyle and the 800-meter freestyle relay, setting world records in both.
--Dr. Sammy Lee, considered one of the greatest divers in Olympic history, and the first Asian American to win an Olympic gold medal. He earned this distinction in platform diving at the 1948 and 1952 Olympic Games. He has also coached such great Olympic divers as Bob Webster and Greg Louganis.
--Wilbur Thompson, a world-class shot putter who captured the gold medal at the 1948 London Olympics.
--Quincy Watts, the winner of two gold medals in track and field at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in the men's 400 meters and the 800-meter relay.
--Angela Williams, a 2002 USC graduate who qualified for the 2004 Olympic team in track and field after placing sixth in the 100 meters at the trials in Sacramento.
The panel, all of whom either attended, trained or coached at USC, will discuss USC's dedication to the Olympic Games. USC has sent more athletes to the Olympics than any other university, winning 234 medals, including at least one gold medal in every summer Olympics since 1912.
The panelists will touch upon their most memorable Olympic moments and describe how participating in the Games influenced their lives. There will be a question-and-answer session with the audience at the conclusion of the panel.
