George Breen

George Thomas Breen (July 19, 1935 – November 9, 2019) was an American Hall of Fame competition swimmer, four-time Olympic medalist in freestyle events, and world record-holder in three events. After retiring as a swimmer, he became a swim coach at the University of Pennsylvania and later the Jersey Wahoos Swim Club.

Background
Breen was born in Buffalo, New York. He was a champion rower for Bishop Timon High School in Buffalo, and the West Side Rowing Club. He began swimming competitively as a 17-year-old freshman at Cortland State University under Hall of Fame Coach Doc Counsilman, almost a decade later than many of his future rivals.

1500-meter world record
Many consider Breen's most significant single swim time, and greatest single effort, his 1500-meter Long Course World Record of 18:05.9 at the May 3, 1956 U.S. AAU Indoor Championship at Yale, referred to by Ohio State Coach Mike Peppe as “the single most brilliant effort in swimming since I’ve been coaching.” Breen reduced the standing world record by a substantial 13.1 seconds, and incredibly completed his swim a full 1:18, ahead of the second-place finisher, Frank Brunell, who had been an American National Champion many times. No prior swimmer had ever completed an event so far ahead of the second-place finisher in the history of the U.S. Nationals.

Olympics
Breen represented the United States at the November 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. As a member of the second-place U.S. team in the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay, Breen earned a silver medal, together with Dick Hanley, Bill Woolsey and Ford Konno. He also took bronze medals in the 400-meter freestyle (4:32.5) and men's 1,500-meter freestyle (18:08.2) – after setting a new world record of 17:52.9 in the qualifying heats of the 1,500.

Pan American Games
At the 1959 Pan American Games, he won a gold medal for his first-place finish in the 400-meter freestyle and a silver as the runner-up in the 1500-meter freestyle. He was elected team captain of the U.S. men for the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, and earned another bronze medal while competing in the men's 1,500-meter freestyle (17:55.9).

Coaching
Breen coached the Penn Quakers men's swimming team at the University of Pennsylvania from 1966 until 1982, and served as a coach for U.S. Swimming. He formerly coached for Gloucester County Institute of Technology (Deptford, New Jersey) swim team (now separate from the school, it is known as the Greater Philadelphia Aquatic Club) and at the Jersey Wahoos Swim Club in Mount Laurel, New Jersey.

Swimming community
He was active in swimming administration, and chaired the USA Swimming Olympic International Operations Committee. He was a member of Middle Atlantic Swimming’s Board of Directors, and also served on the Board of Directors of USA Swimming.

Breen was inducted into the International Swim Hall of Fame, the American Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and the Cortland State Hall of Fame.

Later life and death
Breen was a resident of Washington Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, where he coached local high school and club swim teams into his 70s. He was diagnosed with bone cancer of his right middle finger and had to have it amputated. After battling pancreatic cancer for several years, Breen died on November 9, 2019, in New Jersey.