View source for Rod Strachan

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox swimmer
| name           = Rodney “Rod” Strachan
| image          = StrachanRod1976.JPG
| image_size     = <!-- Only for images narrower than 220 pixels -->
| alt            =
| caption        = Strachan in 1976
| fullname       = Rodney Strachan
| nicknames      = "Rod"
| national_team  = United States
| strokes        = [[Medley swimming|Individual medley]]
| club           = Anaheim Aquatics and Fullerton Area Swim Team (FAST) <ref>{{cite web |title=Legendary Coach Jon Urbanchek Loves Coaching and People |date=23 June 2017 |url=https://socalswimhistory.com/tag/rod-strachan/ |publisher=ScCal Swim History |access-date=7 October 2023}}</ref>
| coach          = Tom DeLong<br>(Foothill High)<br>Peter Daland<br>(USC)
| collegeteam    = [[USC Trojans|University of Southern California]]
| birth_date     = {{Birth date and age|1955|10|16|mf=y}}
| birth_place    = [[Santa Monica, California]]
| death_date     = 
| death_place    = 
| height         = {{convert|6|ft|0|in|m|abbr=on}}
| weight         = {{convert|170|lb|kg|abbr=on}}
| medaltemplates =   
{{MedalSport | Men's swimming}}
{{MedalCountry | the United States}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Swimming at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1976 Summer Olympics|1976 Montreal]] | [[Swimming at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metre individual medley|400 m medley]]}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[FINA World Aquatics Championships|World Championships (LC)]]}}
{{MedalSilver | [[1973 World Aquatics Championships|1973 Belgrade]] | [[Swimming at the 1973 World Aquatics Championships – Men's 400 metre individual medley|400 m medley]]}}
}}

'''Rodney Strachan''' (born October 16, 1955) is an American former high school and college competition [[swimming (sport)|swimmer]], 1976 Olympic gold medalist, and physician with a specialization in internal medicine.<ref name=Olympedia/>

Starting at the age of eight, Rod did age group training and competition with the Sammy Lee Swim School on Anaheim's Lincoln Avenue under Swimming Hall of Fame Coach John Urbanchek who swam for and later coached the University of Michigan.  When the Sammy Lee Club disbanded in 1967, Rod swam for Anaheim Aquatics under Urbanchek until he left for USC, while swimming additional high school swim practices.  He returned to Anaheim Aquatics, after graduating USC, until he retired from swimming.<ref name=Urbanchek>{{cite web |title=Strachan, Rod, "Legendary Coach John Urbanchek Loves Coaching and People"|date=23 June 2017 |url=https://socalswimhistory.com/tag/rod-strachan/|access-date=7 November 2023}}</ref> Eventually the Anaheim Club became the Fullerton Anaheim Swim Club,   still coached by Urbancheck, and Strachan continued swimming with the club   shortly after Olympic trials in June 1976, where he excelled.  The club is now known as the Fullerton Aquatics Sports Team.<ref>McCormack, Jim, "Stirring Stretch Drive Heat Up American Trials", ''Press-Telegram'', Long Beach, California, 18 June 1976, pg. 29</ref>

== High School swimming ==
Strachan was a standout swimmer and 1973 graduate of [[Foothill High School (Orange County, California)|Foothill High School]] in Tustin, California, where he helped his team win three consecutive California Interscholastic Federation Championships from 1971-1973.  Ron's Foothill teams featured several championship swimmers that included future Olympic medalists [[Bruce Furniss|Bruce]] and [[Steve Furniss]] who also swam with him at Anaheim Aquatics.<ref name=Gustkey>Gustkey, Earl, ''The Los Angeles Times'', Los Angeles, California, 12 April 1973, pg. 21</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Foothill High School Aquatics |date=25 September 2011 |url=https://foothillaquatics.com/boys-waterpolo/boys-water-polo-history/ |access-date=7 October 2023}}</ref>

At the 1973 CIF Championship in his Senior year, Ron placed second in the 200 Individual Medley, and fifth in the 400 freestyle, helping Foothill High to win the meet.  A dominant team, by April of '73, Foothill swimming had won 35 straight dual meets with opponents.<ref name=Gustkey/><ref>Arthur, Rick, "Shaw Superb in CIF Swim", ''Press-Telegram'', Long Beach, California, 14 April 1973, pg. 36</ref>  In the summer of his Senior year, Ron won the 400-meter Individual Medley at Mission Viejo's L.A. Invitational in 4:44.81 against top international competition.<ref>"Eight Local Swimmers Splash Through L.A. Invitational", ''The Tustin News'', Tustin, California, 9 August 1973, pg. 16</ref>  His High School Coach Tom DeLong was one of winningest high school coaches in the California Interscholastic Federation, amassing a record of 190-16-1, and winning 14 league championships, and 4 California Interscholastic Federation (State) titles from 1966-1984.<ref name=DeLong>DiGiovanna, Mike, "Making Swimming Fun", ''The Los Angeles Times'', Los Angeles, California, 2 May 1984, pg. 67</ref>

During his Senior Year, against a surprisingly strong field at the CIF Southern Section Relays in Long Beach in April '73, Strachan won as part of 4 man relay teams in butterfly and freestyle, but came in second in his signature IM relays, helping his Foothill Knights team to accumulate the points needed to win the competition in the finals.<ref>Blanchet, David, "Aqua Knights Capture First in Relays", ''The Tustin News'', Tustin, California, 1 February 1973, pg. 14</ref>

== USC swimming ==
At USC, Strachan swam for Hall of Fame Coach [[Peter Daland]], an outstanding swimming mentor.<ref name=Trojans/>  The Trojans won the NCAA Championship during  Strachan's attendance from 1974-1977, and he won his signature medley event in 1976-1977 in record time.<ref name=NCAAchamps>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ncaa.com/history/swimming-men/d1|title = NCAA Division I Championship History by Year|access-date=24 November 2023}}</ref>

As a college freshman at the NCAA championships in Long Beach in March 1974, he placed second in the 500-yard free, behind teammate and future Olympian John Naber,  helping USC win the meet against rivals Tennessee and Indiana.<ref>"USC Swimmers Lead in NCAA's", ''Anaheim Bulletin'', Anaheim, California, 29 March 1974, pg. 19</ref><ref>"NCAA Trojans Set Pace", ''The Tribune'', San Luis Obispo, California, 29 March 1974, gp. 8</ref>

As a Sophomore at 19, at the 1975 NCAA Swimming Championships at Cleveland State, Strachan did well, but finished fourth in the 400-yard Individual Medley with a time of 3:59.05, out of title contention, though USC was well ahead of Indiana and won the Championship meet.<ref name=Trojans>"Trojans Near Another NCAA Swimming Title", ''Press-Telegram'', Long Beach, California, 29 March 1975, pg. 16</ref>

At 20 in the Spring of 1976 as a Junior at USC, he won the NCAA title at Brown University in the 400-meter Individual Medley, with a time of 4:29.15, breaking the standing American record by 1.41 seconds set by fellow USC and Foothill High swim teammate [[Steve Furniss]].  USC defeated Tennessee and all Division 1 competitors to take the championship.<ref>"Strachen, McKee Shine in Olympic Swim Trials", ''The Cincinnati Post'', Cincinnati, Ohio, 18 June 1976, pg. 27</ref><ref name=Olympedia>{{Cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/51579|title = Olympedia, Rod Strachan, Bio|access-date=24 November 2023}}</ref>

At the NCAA Championships in Cleveland on March 25, 1977, as a USC Senior, Strachan won the 400-yard Individual Medley with an NCAA record time of 3:54.76, and though the time was under the existing American record, it was disallowed as the new American record because of a technicality.  With a powerful team, that included Steve Furniss and John Naber, USC won the NCAA championship that year.<ref>"Spitz's Record Falls", ''The Los Angeles Times'', Los Angeles, California, 26 March 1977, pg. 19</ref><ref>"NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships", ''The Press Democrat'', Santa Rosa, California, 27 March 1977, pg. 62</ref>

== 1976 Olympic Gold ==
As a USC Junior at the 1976 Olympic trials in June in Long Beach, he placed first in the 400-meter individual medley while Foothill High and USC swimming teammate Steve Furniss took third.<ref>Culpepper, Donnell, "Swim, Naber on Target", ''Press-Telegram'', Long Beach, California, 18 June 1976, pg. 33</ref>

In the final competition in the [[1976 Summer Olympics]] in Montreal, Quebec, in July, at the high point of his athletic career, he took the gold medal in the [[Swimming at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metre individual medley|400-meter individual medley]] event, while setting a new world record of 4:23.68.<ref name=db-olymp-1976SWI>[http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=19&sp=SWI "1976 Olympics – Montreal, Canada – Swimming"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225022652/http://databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=19&sp=SWI |date=2010-12-25 }} – ''databaseOlympics.com'' (Retrieved on May 2, 2008)</ref>  For two years, he retained the long course world record in the 400-meter individual medley (4:23.68) which he set in the Olympics from July 1976 to August 1978.<ref name=Olympedia/>
 
He received a silver medal in the [[Swimming at the 1973 World Aquatics Championships – Men's 400 metre individual medley|same event]] at the [[1973 World Aquatics Championships]] in Belgrade.<ref name=Olympedia/>

== Medical career ==
At USC, Strachan earned a 3.96 grade point average as a pre-med student. Strachan was offered a full scholarship to USC medical school and went on to become a successful anesthesiologist in Orange County.<ref name=Olympedia/>

==See also==
* [[List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)]]
* [[List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (men)]]
* [[World record progression 400 metres individual medley]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{SR/Olympics profile|st/rod-strachan-1}}
* [https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/51579 Olympedia Bio, Rod Strachan]
{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|rec}}
{{succession box
| before = <br>[[Zoltán Verrasztó]]
| title = [[World record progression 400 metres individual medley|Men's 400-meter individual medley<br>world record-holder (long course)]]
| years = July 25, 1976 – August 4, 1978
| after = <br>[[Jesse Vassallo]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Footer USA Swimming 1976 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 400 m Individual Medley Men}}
{{Footer NCAA Division I men's swimming and diving championships – men's 400 y individual medley champions}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strachan, Rod}}
[[Category:1955 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American male medley swimmers]]
[[Category:World record setters in swimming]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming]]
[[Category:Swimmers from Santa Monica, California]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 1976 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:USC Trojans men's swimmers]]
[[Category:World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]