Burwell Jones

Burwell Otis Jones (March 23, 1933 – February 6, 2021) was a physician specializing in dermatology, and a former American competition swimmer. He was an All-American for the University of Michigan, and represented the U.S. in the 1952 Olympics, later receiving a gold medal when Olympic rules changed allowing him to receive his medal for winning the preliminary in the 4x200 freestyle relay, though not competing in the final heat that won the event.

Swimming for swim Coach Dick Stuckey, By November 1948, at 15, Jones held the National Individual Medley Record for his age group. As a 16-year-old junior in 1949, he helped lead a four-person 200-yard relay to a National Interscholastic record. During his high school career at Redford, he held 18 state championships, and had six metropolitan league records.

International competition At the 1951 Pan American Games held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he won the bronze medal in the men's 100-meter backstroke, and a gold medal in the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay event, alongside teammates Dick Cleveland, Ronald Gora and Bill Heusner. Although the U.S. team finished first, Jones did not receive a medal under the 1952 rules because he did not swim in the event final. Years later he would receive his gold medal after the rule changed. In his freshman year at Michigan in 1951, at the National AAU championships, he swam a time of 3:52.2, breaking the American record for the 300-meter medley, which then consisted of 100 meters each of butterfly, back, and freestyle.

Jones was a four-time NCAA champion, mostly in the 150-yard individual medley, a five-time All-American, and a nominee for the prestigious Sullivan award given to the greatest single athlete of the year. Jones was the holder of three world records in the 400-meter individual medley, and held the first world record in the event when the butterfly was first added.

Jones became a doctor, specializing in dermatology. Many of his Master's swim times, at least in his early years in his 40's nearly equaled his best collegiate times.

In June 1973, at age 40, he broke five age group records at the AAU Long Course Meet, and set a National age group record in the 100 freestyle of 1:00.6. In May, 1974, he swam a few events close to his earliest records at the AAU National Short Course Championships at Fort Lauderdale's Hall of Fame Pool, which included breaking his own record in the 200 IM with a time of 2:15.3, and swimming only one second off his previous year's time in the 200-yard freestyle. Jones claimed that in 1974, he had lost very little speed, and later at 55 broke six national records at the Southern Masters Swimming Championships in the 55-59 age group in St. Petersburg, Florida in April 1988. These included the 200 and 400 IM, the 200 and 1650-yard freestyle, and the 200 backstroke.

Continuing to stay active in the swimming community in Sarasota, Florida, the Bumpy Jones Swimming Classic, sponsored by the Sarasota YMCA Sharks was held in June 2006.

Jones continued to swim as he aged, setting four National records in a Short Course Yards Championship, swimming for the Sarasota YMCA Sharks in the 75–79 age group in 2008; the 1000-yard free, the 1,650-yard free, the 100 backstroke, and the 200 individual medley. That year he helped to reorganize the Sarasota Swim Club.

Around the time of his medical residency, he became an accomplished golfer, with victories in 28 tournaments, both state and local. He continued to practice golf in his retirement and swam occasionally in the single lane 25-yard pool. He had suffered from Alzheimer's and vascular dementia.