University Southern California Trojans
Annual 'Swim With Mike' Swim-A-Thon Set For Saturday at USC's McDonald's Swim Stadium
April 8, 2003
LOS ANGELES--The 2003 USC football team will join hundreds of participants in the water at the 23rd annual "Swim With Mike" swim-a-thon fundraiser this Saturday (April 12) at the USC McDonald's Swim Stadium.
The event, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. with free admission and parking, hopes to raise more than $400,000 for the Physically Challenged Athletes Scholarship Fund at USC. Since 1981, more than $3.5 million has been raised to provide more than 40 USC scholarships to athletes who have overcome life-challenging accidents or illnesses. Ten of those athletes are currently enrolled at USC (and two others are at UC Davis and BYU-Hawaii).
The Trojan football team will swim a position-against-position relay race at 11:30 a.m.
John Naber, the former Trojan backstroke star who won 4 gold medals at the 1976 Olympics, will receive the "President Gerald and Betty Ford People Helping People Award" at noon. His daughter will accept on his behalf.
A barbeque, raffle and silent auction will follow, with music provided by the Trojan Marching Band. Mickey and Minnie Mouse will be in attendance. USC swimming coach Mark Schubert, legendary former Trojan coach Peter Daland and Trojan Olympic swimmers Lenny Krayzelburg, Lindsay Benko, Erik Vendt and Bruce Furniss will conduct a swim clinic.
The "Swim" began in 1981 when friends and teammates of USC 3-time All-American swimmer Mike Nyeholt rallied to his aid to help him recover from a paralyzing motorcycle accident. What was to be a one-time event, "Swim For Mike," raised $58,000. At Nyeholt's suggestion, the excess donations were used to establish the Physically Challenged Athletes Scholarship Fund. The next year, Nyeholt joined other swimmers in the water helping raise money and the swim-a-thon became an annual event, which was renamed "Swim With Mike."
