Don Schollander
He exploded onto the global stage at 18, becoming America's first swimmer to win four gold medals in a single Olympics.
Born 1946 (age 80)·American swimmer·Birthday: April 30·Baby Boomers
Biography
Don Schollander was a teenage force of nature who redefined American swimming dominance. Hailing from Lake Oswego, Oregon, his powerful freestyle technique, honed under coach George Haines, made him nearly unbeatable in the mid-1960s. The 1964 Tokyo Olympics became his personal showcase; at just eighteen, he stormed to victory in the 100m and 400m freestyle and anchored two triumphant relay teams, capturing four golds and becoming the star of the Games. His success, marked by a clean-cut All-American image, helped propel swimming into the mainstream sporting consciousness. While he added a gold and a silver in 1968, his legacy was already cemented as the pioneer who set the standard for future multi-event champions like Mark Spitz.
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.
Don was born in 1946, 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 Don Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Don's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 70
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 80
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became the first American swimmer to win four gold medals at a single Olympic Games (Tokyo 1964).
- Set world records in four different freestyle events during his peak competitive years.
- Won a total of five Olympic gold medals and one silver across the 1964 and 1968 Games.
- Was the most decorated athlete at the 1964 Summer Olympics.
Did You Know?
He was named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year in 1964, the first swimmer to receive the honor.
His 400m freestyle gold medal at the 1964 Olympics was won by a margin of over two seconds, a huge gap at that level.
He attended Yale University, where he continued his swimming career and earned a degree in economics and political science.
His cousin, Sandy Neilson, also became an Olympic gold medalist in swimming at the 1972 Games.
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