Charlie Hickcox
The versatile American swimmer who dominated the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, claiming three gold medals and a silver.
1947–2010 (age 63)·American swimmer·Birthday: February 6·Baby Boomers
Biography
Charlie Hickcox arrived at the 1968 Olympics as a world-record holder, but he left as a star. Swimming for the powerhouse Indiana University program under coach Doc Counsilman, Hickcox had developed into a model of versatility, excelling in both backstroke and individual medley events. In the high altitude of Mexico City, he put on a masterclass. He seized gold in the 200-meter individual medley, the 400-meter individual medley, and as a key leg on the world-record-setting 4x100-meter medley relay team, adding a silver in the 100-meter backstroke. His technical precision and endurance made him nearly unbeatable in the grueling medleys. Though his competitive career was relatively brief, his triple-gold performance at a single Games placed him among the swimming greats of his era and underscored the rising dominance of American swimming science and training.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Charlie was born in 1947, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Charlie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1947
#1 Movie
The Egg and I
Best Picture
Gentleman's Agreement
Charlie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1947Born
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1952Started school
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1960Became a teenager
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1963Could drive
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1965Could vote
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Turned 21
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1977Turned 30
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 40
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 50
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 60
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2010Died at 63
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
Key Achievements
- Won three gold medals (200m IM, 400m IM, 4x100m medley relay) and one silver medal (100m backstroke) at the 1968 Summer Olympics.
- Set six world records during his swimming career across backstroke and individual medley events.
- Won multiple NCAA championships swimming for Indiana University.
- Was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1976.
Did You Know?
He was known for his extremely efficient and technically sound stroke mechanics.
Hickcox initially focused on backstroke before becoming a world-beater in the individual medley.
He later worked as a swimming coach and in the insurance business.
His 1968 Olympic gold in the 400m IM was won with a time that broke the existing world record by over four seconds.
“In Mexico City, the thin air was just another competitor to beat.”
