imported>CaptainAngus: /* El Camino College */ Updates in accordance with MOS:GNL

2024-10-29T00:58:04Z

El Camino College: Updates in accordance with MOS:GNL

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{{Short description|American swimmer (1930–2012)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox swimmer
| name = Robert Hughes
| image = File:HughesRobert(swimmer).png
| image_size = 
| alt =
| caption =
| fullname = Robert Earl Hughes
| nicknames = "Bob"
| national_team = {{USA}}
| strokes = [[Breaststroke]]<br>[[water polo|Water Polo Center Forward]]
| coach = Urho Saari (El Segundo High)<br>(El Camino College)<br>Fred Cady (USC)
| club = El Segundo Swim Club
| collegeteam = [[USC Trojans|University of Southern California]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1930|12|15|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Lennox, California]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2012|10|11|1930|12|15|mf=y}}
| death_place =
| height = {{convert|6|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
| weight = {{convert|225|lb|kg|abbr=on}}
| medaltemplates =
}}

'''Robert Earl Hughes''' (December 15, 1930 – October 11, 2012) was an American [[water polo]] player and [[breaststroke]] [[Swimming (sport)|swimmer]] for the University of Southern California who competed in both the [[1952 Summer Olympics|1952]] and [[1956 Summer Olympics]].<ref>Sports-Reference.com , Olympic Sports, Athletes, [https://web.archive.org/web/20200418092215/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/hu/bob-hughes-1.html Robert Hughes]. Retrieved October 4, 2012.</ref>

== El Segundo High School ==
Hughes was born in [[Lennox, California]] in December, 1930. He attended [[El Segundo High School]] and swam for their team under U.S. Water Polo Hall of Fame Coach Urho E. Saari, where in May, 1948, Hughes won the 50 and 100-yard freestyle to help lead his High School team to the CIF Team Championship. Under Coach Saari's time as Head Coach, El Segundo High School won the Southern California Championship twelve times.<ref name=Saari/> In August, 1948, swimming for the El Segundo Swim Club, Hughes set a new SPAAU record for the 200-meter breaststroke at the Southern Pacific AAU (SPAAU) Senior Outdoor Swimming Championships, with a time of 50.7 seconds.<ref>"Hughes Sets Mark in SPAAU Breaststroke", ''The Los Angeles Times'', Los Angeles, California, 1 August 1948, pg. 22</ref><ref name=WPHOF/><ref name=Saari>{{cite web|url=https://usawaterpolo.org/hof.aspx?hof=57|title=USA Water Polo Hall of Fame, Urho Saari|website=usawaterpolo.org|access-date=20 September 2024}}</ref>

== El Camino College ==
After High School, he attended [[El Camino College]] in greater Los Angeles where he was also coached by Urho Sarri in both swimming and water polo. At the Southern California small college water polo championship on December 3, 1948, Hughes scored seven goals leading El Camino College to a 13-8 victory over Loyola University in the final game.<ref>"El Camino Wins Water Polo Title", ''The Los Angeles Times'', Los Angeles, California, December 4, 1948, pg. 30</ref> By November, 1948, Hughes, who was a top scorer in his position as Center Forward, had tried out for the 1948 Olympic team in St. Louis.<ref>Dunn, Bob, "Spotlights", ''The Daily Breeze'', 24 November 1948, pg. 6</ref>

During his 1949-50 swimming year at El Camino, Hughes was selected by the Junior College All America Swimming Board to receive All America honors from the Helms Athletic Foundation. He was recognized for his performances in the 50, 100, 220, and 440-yard freestyle, and the 100-yard breaststroke events.<ref name=Camino/>

After his time with El Camino, he served during the Korean War era with the US Coast Guard. As a member of the Coast Guard on August 27–28, 1952 Hughes, and other U.S. Water Polo team members assisted California channel swimmer Ray Carmassi to complete the 21-mile channel swim from Catalina Island to San Pedro, California accompanied by a flotilla of auxiliary Coast Guard Vessels crewed by Coast Guard personnel. Hughes and other Water Polo members took turns swimming with Carmassi.<ref>Apple, Nick, "Carmassi Has Two New Goals, English Channel, Marriage", ''News Pilot'', San Pedro, California, 29 August 1952, pg. 10</ref><ref name=Olympedia/><ref name=Camino>"Water Merman Shoot for Metro Lop Title", ''The Daily Breeze'', Torrance, California, 7 March 1950, pg. 5</ref><ref name=StJoseph>"125 Start Work at Nature Institute", ''Santa Barbara News Press'', Santa Barbara, California, 8 August 1955, pg. 12</ref>

== University of Southern California ==
After attending El Camino, and serving with the U.S. Coast Guard, Hughes attended the [[University of Southern California]] (USC), where he swam for the [[USC Trojans]] swimming and diving team from 1955-56 in [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] (NCAA) competition under Head Coach Fred Cady and also played water polo. Cady was USC's first swim coach and served from 1920-1956, though he also excelled as a diving coach, coaching the US Olympic team divers for four consecutive Olympics beginning in 1928.<ref name=Heritage>{{cite web|url=https://www.usc.edu/we-are-usc/the-university/our-history/olympic-heritage/|title=USC, Olympic Heritage, Trojan Coaches at the Olympics|website=www.usc.edu|access-date=20 September 2024}}</ref><ref>Fred Cady coached swimming at USC in 1955-56 in "Aussie Swimmers May Flood USC", ''Stockton Evening and Sunday Record'', Stockton, California, 7 September 1957, pg. 22</ref> Hughes continued to attend USC from 1954-1957, though he did not complete a degree.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usc.edu/we-are-usc/the-university/our-history/olympic-heritage/|title=USC, Notable Facts about USC and Olympics|website=usc.edu|access-date=19 September 2024}}</ref><ref name=Olympedia/> Hughes lettered in both swimming and water polo at USC, and earned All-American honors as a swimmer in both 1955 and 1956.<ref name=Olympedia/><ref name=USC/> By 1956, he held the USC school record for the 50 freestyle with a time of 22.8, and in the 100 freestyle with a time of 51.2. In the summer of 1955, while attending USC, Hughes served as a High School Teacher at St. Joseph High School in Alameda, California.<ref name=Olympedia/><ref name=Camino/><ref name=StJoseph/><ref name=records>Sciacca, Giovanni, "Swim Team for USC Best Ever", ''Evening Vanguard'', Venice, California, 22 March 1956, pg. 17</ref>

In high level National and International competition, Hughes was on the American Athletic Union Sr. Outdoor National Championship Team in 1953, and in water polo was on the American 1951 Buenos Aires Pan American Team, taking a gold medal. He also competed with the 1955 US Mexico City Pan American Team taking a silver medal.<ref name=WPHOF/>

== 1952, 1956 Olympics ==
Hughes was a member of the U.S. Olympic water polo team that finished fourth in the [[Water polo at the 1952 Summer Olympics|1952 Olympic tournament]] in Helsinki, Finland, just out of medal contention. He played in all nine matches for the U.S. team.<ref name=Olympedia>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/54934|title=Olympedia Bio, Robert Hughes|website=olympedia.org}}</ref> The American Water Polo team at the 1952 Olympics was coached by Hughes' former High School and Junior College Coach Urho Saari.<ref name=Saari/>

Competing again four years later, he finished fifth with the American [[Water polo at the 1956 Summer Olympics|water polo]] team at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, where he played in five matches and scored frequently. He also competed as the only U.S. entrant in the [[Swimming at the 1956 Summer Olympics|200-meter breaststroke]], but did not advance beyond the preliminary heats and placed sixth.<ref name=Olympedia/><ref>Smits, Ted, "Russia Closing U.S. Lead Margin in Olympic Games", ''Petaluma Argus Courier'', Petaluma, California, 3 December 1956, pg. 4</ref>

Benefitting from his earlier training in both water polo and swimming at USC, while at the 1956 Olympics, he became the first American athlete since Johnny Weissmuller in 1924 to compete in two different Olympic sports in one year. As a swimmer, in 1956, he broke the American world record in the 100-meter breaststroke with a 1:11.2. Hughes played the two-meter position also known as Center Forward at the Olympics, and in collegiate competition. His outstanding play at the position made it far better known to the public, as the Olympics garnered a large audience and wide press coverage. The two meter position is played on offense and is also known as the [[Hole set]] or hole, which is usually in the area of the two meter (2M) marker in the center of the opposing team's goal, making it an excellent spot for scoring. Hughes's height may have been used to its best advantage in this position as he was harder to block and could shoot and receive passes above the heads' of opponents.<ref name=USC>{{cite web|url=https://usctrojans.com/sports/2017/6/15/blog-2012-05-2012-hall-of-fame-bob-hughes-html|title=USC Hall of Fame, Robert Hughes|website=usctrojans.com}}</ref>

== Later life ==
Hughes later worked as a coach, school teacher and artist, specializing as a sculptor.<ref name=Olympedia/> He continued to play water polo with the El Segundo Athletic club through the 1960's, with a water polo career spanning from 1948-1963.<ref name=WPHOF/> In 1974, he was Assistant Coach for [[Arroyo Grande High School]], and served as an Assistant Water Polo coach from 1970-74 at his alma mater, the University of Southern California.<ref>Terrill, Bob, "Banquet Fetes Stars of Fall Sports", ''Times-Press-Recorder'', Arroyo Grande, California, 6 December 1974, pg. 7</ref><ref name=WPHOF/>

== Honors ==
He was inducted into the [[USA Water Polo Hall of Fame]] in 1976 as a Charter Member.<ref>{{cite web|title=Robert E Hughes (1976) |url=https://usawaterpolo.org/hof.aspx?hof=25 |website=usawaterpolo.org |publisher=USA Water Polo |access-date=18 September 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Hall of Fame Inductees |url=https://usawaterpolo.org/sports/2018/11/28/trads-hof-inductees-html.aspx |website=usawaterpolo.org |publisher=USA Water Polo |access-date=18 September 2020 }}</ref> The recipient of many honors, Hughes was also a member of the El Camino College Hall of Fame, the California Community College Coaches Hall of Fame, the United States Swimming Hall of Fame and the USC Hall of Fame.<ref name=Olympedia/><ref name=WPHOF/>

As an outstanding athlete, Hughes was an AAU All American in 1953, 1956, and 1963. He was an All Pacific 8 Conference Champion in 1954, 1955, and 1956 with the University of Southern California.<ref name=WPHOF>{{cite web|url=https://usawaterpolo.org/honors/hall-of-fame/robert-e-hughes/25|title=USA Water Polo Hall of Fame, Robert Hughes|website=usawaterpolo.org|access-date=18 September 2024}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of multi-sport athletes]]
* [[List of University of Southern California people]]
* [[Water polo at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Men's team squads]]
* [[Water polo at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's team squads]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Sports links}}
* [http://www.usawaterpolo.org/Libraries/General%20Document/Bob%20Hughes%20Memorial%20Announcement%20for%20USAWP.sflb Robert Hughes' obituary]{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

{{United States men's water polo squad 1952 Summer Olympics}}
{{United States men's water polo squad 1956 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer USA Swimming 1956 Summer Olympics}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Robert}}
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:2012 deaths]]
[[Category:Olympic water polo players for the United States]]
[[Category:Olympic swimmers for the United States]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 1956 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:USC Trojans men's swimmers]]
[[Category:Water polo players at the 1952 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Water polo players at the 1956 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:American male water polo players]]
[[Category:American water polo coaches]]
[[Category:Water polo players at the 1951 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1951 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States in water polo]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]

{{US-waterpolo-bio-stub}}
{{US-swimming-bio-stub}}

Robert Hughes (swimmer) - Revision history

imported>CaptainAngus: /* El Camino College */ Updates in accordance with MOS:GNL