View source for Tom Jager

{{short description|American swimmer}}
{{Other people|Thomas Jager|Thomas Jager (disambiguation){{!}}Thomas Jager}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox swimmer
| name           = Tom Jager
| image          = <!-- Only free-content images are allowed for depicting living people -- see [[WP:NONFREE]]. -->
| image_size     = <!-- Only for images narrower than 220 pixels -->
| alt            =
| caption        = 
| fullname       = Thomas Michael Jager
| nicknames      = "Tom"
| national_team  = United States
| strokes        = [[Freestyle swimming|Freestyle]]
| club           = 
| collegeteam    = [[UCLA Bruins|University of California, Los Angeles]]
| birth_date     = {{Birth date and age|1964|10|6|mf=y}}
| birth_place    = [[East St. Louis, Illinois]], U.S.
| death_date     = 
| death_place    = 
| height         = {{convert|6|ft|3|in|m|abbr=on}}
| weight         = {{convert|181|lb|kg|abbr=on}}
| medaltemplates = 
{{MedalSport | Men's swimming}}
{{MedalCountry |{{USA}}}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Swimming at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
[[File:Olympic rings.svg|center|80px]]
{{MedalGold | [[Swimming at the 1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Los Angeles]] | [[Swimming at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay|4×100 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[Swimming at the 1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Los Angeles]] | [[Swimming at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 100 metre medley relay|4×100 m medley]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[Swimming at the 1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Seoul]] | [[Swimming at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay|4×100 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[Swimming at the 1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Seoul]] | [[Swimming at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 100 metre medley relay|4×100 m medley]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[Swimming at the 1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Barcelona]] | [[Swimming at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay|4×100 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalSilver | [[Swimming at the 1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Seoul]] | [[Swimming at the 1988 Summer Olympics - Men's 50 metre freestyle|50 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalBronze | [[Swimming at the 1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Barcelona]] | [[Swimming at the 1992 Summer Olympics - Men's 50 metre freestyle|50 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[FINA World Aquatics Championships|World Championships (LC)]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1986 World Aquatics Championships|1986 Madrid]] | 50 m freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | [[1986 World Aquatics Championships|1986 Madrid]] | 4×100 m freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | [[1991 World Aquatics Championships|1991 Perth]] | 50 m freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | [[1991 World Aquatics Championships|1991 Perth]] | 4×100 m freestyle}}
{{MedalBronze | [[1986 World Aquatics Championships|1986 Madrid]] | 100 m freestyle}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|Pan Pacific Games]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1987 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|1987 Brisbane]] | 50 m freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | [[1989 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|1989 Tokyo]] | 50 m freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | [[1989 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|1989 Tokyo]] | 4×100 m freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | [[1991 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|1991 Edmonton]] | 50 m freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | [[1991 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|1991 Edmonton]] | 4×100 m freestyle}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Pan American Games]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1995 Pan American Games|1995 Mar del Plata]] | [[Swimming at the 1995 Pan American Games|4×100 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalBronze | [[1995 Pan American Games|1995 Mar del Plata]] | [[Swimming at the 1995 Pan American Games|50 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Summer Universiade]]}}
{{MedalSilver | [[1983 Summer Universiade|1983 Edmonton]] | [[Swimming at the 1983 Summer Universiade|100 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalSilver | [[1983 Summer Universiade|1983 Edmonton]] | [[Swimming at the 1983 Summer Universiade|100 m butterfly]]}}
{{MedalSilver | [[1983 Summer Universiade|1983 Edmonton]] | [[Swimming at the 1983 Summer Universiade|4x100 m freestyle]]}}
}}

'''Thomas Michael Jager''' (born October 6, 1964) is an American former competition swimmer. He is five-time Olympic gold medalist in relay events, a two-time [[FINA World Aquatics Championships|World Championship]] individual gold medalist for the 50-meter freestyle, and a former world record-holder in two events. Jager set the 50-meter freestyle world record on six occasions during his career. He held this record for over ten years from August 1989 to June 2000.

==Swimming career==

Jager started his swimming career as a 6 year old “Gaslight Gator” in his hometown of Collinsville, IL.  He then competed for the East St. Louis YMCA, before coming under the tutelage of Carol Pence “Penny” Taylor, his coach at the Parkway Swim Club in St. Louis.  Taylor was a 1948 Olympic swimmer. She was instrumental in his development as a swimmer. Tom won numerous Illinois high school state meet 
titles as a Collinsville Kahok, and was the number one recruit in the nation his senior year.

Jager attended the [[University of California, Los Angeles]] (UCLA), and swam for coach [[Ron Ballatore]]'s [[UCLA Bruins]] swimming and diving team in [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] (NCAA) competition from 1983 to 1985.  He won NCAA individual national championships in the 100-yard freestyle (1983, 1984), the 50-yard freestyle (1984, 1985), and the 100-yard backstroke (1985).  In 1984, he was honored as the [[Pac-12 Conference|Pacific-10 Conference]] Swimmer of the Year.

He was also an eleven-time United States national open champion, with wide-ranging diversity that allowed him to win titles in three different strokes, freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly.

Jager won seven Olympic medals for the United States, competing in the 1984, 1988, and 1992 Olympics. He won five gold medals in [[relay race|relay]] events. He also won an individual silver medal in the 50-meter freestyle in [[1988 Summer Olympics|1988]], and an individual bronze medal in the 50-meter freestyle in [[1992 Summer Olympics|1992]].<ref>{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ja/tom-jager-1.html |title=Tom Jager |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417040535/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ja/tom-jager-1.html |archive-date=2020-04-17}}</ref>

At the [[FINA World Aquatics Championships|World Championships]], Jager won gold medals in the 50-meter freestyle in 1986 and 1991. He also won gold medals in the 50-meter freestyle at the [[Pan Pacific Swimming Championships]] in 1989 and 1991.

Though yard-based races are only competed in the United States, Jager also held the [[World record progression 50 yards freestyle|world record in the 50 yard freestyle]] of 19.05 seconds from 1990 until 2005.<ref name="tom1990">(7 March 2005). [https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/the-50-yard-freestyle-searching-for-that-sub-19-clocking/ The 50-Yard Freestyle: Searching for That Sub-19 Clocking], ''Swimming World''</ref><ref name="19-05nytimes">(24 March 1990). [https://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/24/sports/results-plus-271990.html Swimming], ''[[The New York Times]]'' ("Jager Sets Record: Tom Jager outdueled Matt Biondi in the 50-yard freestyle last night at the United States Short Course National Championships in Nashville, breaking Biondi's three-year-old American record. Jager's time of 19:05 seconds bettered Biondi's previous mark of 19:15.")</ref><ref name="fred">(25 March 2005). [https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2005/03/25/world-record-broken-at-ncaa-swim-meet/ World record broken at NCAA swim meet], ''[[Tampa Bay Times]]''</ref>

In 1991, Jager competed against then 41 year old Olympic swimming legend Mark Spitz, who was attempting a comeback in the sport, hoping to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials in perhaps his historically best event, the 100 meter butterfly. The contest  was over in the first 15 meters of the 50-meter butterfly race. Jager, who was considered the quickest starter in the world, was off the blocks and in the lead quickly. He widened his lead throughout the race. Jager won in 24.92 seconds, while Spitz finished 1 1/2 body lengths behind, in 26.70 seconds.

Jager and his friend and rival, Matt Biondi, were pioneers in making competitive swimming professional, which allowed athletes to compete beyond their collegiate years, the typical career-ending point for most high-level swimmers before the 1980s, as they often lacked financial resources to continue their careers. Biondi, like Jager, competed in the 1984, 1988, and 1992 Olympics. Biondi set numerous world records, and won multiple NCAA, Olympic and world championship medals.

Jager was inducted into the [[International Swimming Hall of Fame]] in 2001.<ref name=ishofprofile>{{cite web |url=http://www.ishof.org/tom-jager-(usa).html |title=Tom Jager (USA) |website=ISHOF.org |publisher=[[International Swimming Hall of Fame]] |access-date=April 12, 2015 |archive-date=November 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108205125/http://www.ishof.org/tom-jager-(usa).html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Coaching career==
In 2004, Jager became the head coach of the [[University of Idaho]]'s [[Idaho Vandals]] women's swim team.<ref>[http://www.govandals.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=91500&SPID=10342&DB_OEM_ID=17100&ATCLID=1088260&Q_SEASON=2007 Jager bio] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305094140/http://www.govandals.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=91500&SPID=10342&DB_OEM_ID=17100&ATCLID=1088260&Q_SEASON=2007 |date=March 5, 2012 }} from the Idaho Vandals website. Retrieved June 19, 2009.</ref> Jager then accepted the head coaching position for the [[Washington State Cougars]] swim team at [[Washington State University]] in 2011.
He is now the head coach of the Aspen Swim club in Colorado.

==Family==
Tom is the youngest of a family of swimming siblings. While under a swimming scholarship at the [[University of Iowa]], his older sister Diane was an [[All-America]]n swimmer in the backstroke. His brother, Bill, qualified for Nationals while in high school and then went on to earn a full swimming scholarship at the [[University of Illinois]]. Bill and Tom won the Illinois High School Athletic Association state swimming title in the 100 backstroke for five years in a row, with Bill claiming the title his senior year in high school (1978) and Tom then winning four in a row (1979 - 1982). All three siblings went on to work as swimming coaches.

Tom and his wife, Becky, have two sons, Wyatt (born 1996) and Cy (born 1999), both of whom swam for his swimming club, the Gold Medal Swim Club. Wyatt swam in college for the Ohio State University, while Wyatt swam for the University of Denver.

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Olympics}}
* [[List of multiple Olympic gold medalists]]
* [[List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)]]
* [[List of University of California, Los Angeles people]]
* [[List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (men)]]
* [[World record progression 50 metres freestyle]]
* [[World record progression 4 × 100 metres freestyle relay]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ja/tom-jager-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417040535/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ja/tom-jager-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-17 |title=Tom Jager}}
* {{webarchive |title=Tom Jager (USA) – Honor Swimmer profile at International Swimming Hall of Fame |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108205125/http://www.ishof.org/tom-jager-(usa).html |date=November 8, 2017 }}
{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|rec}}
{{succession box
| before = [[Dano Halsall]]
| title = [[World record progression 50m freestyle|Men's 50-meter freestyle<br>world record-holder (long course)]]
| years = December 6, 1985 – June 26, 1986
| after = [[Matt Biondi]]}}
{{succession box
| before = [[Matt Biondi]]
| title = [[World record progression 50m freestyle|Men's 50-meter freestyle<br>world record-holder (long course)]]
| years = August 13, 1987 – September 24, 1988
| after = [[Matt Biondi]]}}
{{succession box
| before = [[Matt Biondi]]
| title = [[World record progression 50m freestyle|Men's 50-meter freestyle<br>world record-holder (long course)]]
| years = August 20, 1989 – June 16, 2000
| after = [[Alexander Popov (swimmer)|Alexander Popov]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Footer USA Swimming 1984 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer USA Swimming 1988 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer USA Swimming 1992 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 4x100 m Freestyle Relay Men}}
{{Footer World LC Champions 50m Freestyle Men}}
{{Footer World LC Champions 4x100m Freestyle Men}}
{{Footer Pan American Champions 4x100 m Freestyle Men}}
{{Footer Pan Pacific Champions 50m Freestyle Men}}
{{Footer Pan Pacific Champions 4x100m Freestyle Men}}
{{Pac-12 Conference Swimmer of the Year navbox}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jager, Tom}}
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American male freestyle swimmers]]
[[Category:American swimming coaches]]
[[Category:Idaho Vandals swimming coaches]]
[[Category:Washington State Cougars swimming coaches]]
[[Category:World record setters in swimming]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in swimming]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States in swimming]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from East St. Louis, Illinois]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 1984 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 1988 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 1995 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:UCLA Bruins men's swimmers]]
[[Category:World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Summer World University Games medalists in swimming]]
[[Category:FISU World University Games silver medalists for the United States]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1983 Summer Universiade]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in swimming]]
[[Category:Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States in swimming]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:21st-century American sportsmen]]