Ralph Breyer

Ralph Theodore Breyer (February 23, 1904 – May 8, 1991) was an American competition swimmer and Olympic champion. Breyer represented the United States at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. He won a gold medal as a member of the first-place record breaking U.S. team in the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay event. He also competed in the qualifying heats of the men's 400-meter freestyle, and recorded a time of 5:22.4 setting a new Olympic record. The relay team consisted of members Harry Glancy, Wally O'Connor, Johnny Weissmuller, Dick Howell and Ralph Breyer, while other members of the US team included brothers Sam and Duke Kahanamoku. Breyer attended Northwestern University and led his team to two NCAA and three Big Ten championships. Individually, he earned four NCAA championships. His team remained undefeated in dual meets. In 1925 he was the recipient of the Big Ten medal of honor. Breyer married Marguerite Gullicksen of Chicago, Illinois and had two children, William Charles Breyer and Robert Theodore Breyer. In March 1985, he was among the first athletes inducted into the NU Wildcats Hall of Fame.