Jed Graef

Jed Richard Graef (born May 1, 1942) is an American former competition swimmer, for Princeton University, a 1964 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist in the 200-meter backstroke, and former world record-holder.

After obtaining a Doctorate in Psychology from the University of Michigan, he taught for seven years at Toronto University, before moving to Rochester, New York, where he worked as a programmer and treasurer for the Rochester Zen Center, where he met his wife, Sunyana, an ordained Buddhist priest. After a move to Vermont in the late 1980s, he would continue to work as a programmer, serve on the Shelburne School Board, and act as treasurer for the Vermont Zen Center in Shelburne, founded by his wife in 1988.

Early life Graef was born in Montclair, New Jersey In 1956-57, he co-captained the team, and in two seasons between 1958-1959 swam on 11 Senior State relay championship teams in 200 and 400-yard freestyle and medley relays.

North Jersey Swim Association In addition to swimming with the Montclair "Y" team primarily as a junior swimmer, Graef swam and competed with the North Jersey Swimming Association (NJSA) beginning around 1956 in his high school freshman year. He placed first in the state championships and set New Jersey state backstroke records representing Verona High School, despite Verona lacking a swim team. He graduated Verona High School in June 1960, with good grades and a high class rank. Graef set a new record for the 200-yard backstroke of 2:22 in his Junior year of High School. Graef was greatly influenced by NJSA's Coach Bob Alexander, who focused on high quality, but relatively short workouts, mentored as many as 12 future Olympic participants, and trained his swimmers at Lake Mohawk in North Jersey. During his high school swimming career, he swam year round, seeking out swimming venues during the winter with his coach.

In 1960, in the summer after his high school senior year, he attended the August trials in Dearborn, Michigan for the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, but just missed making the U.S. team, swimming a 1:05.1, placing ninth overall, where only the top eight could qualify.

Princeton University Graef considered attending Princeton, Yale or Colgate University. After performing well in meets as an undergraduate, but taking many second places in the 200, finally as a senior Graef won the March 1964 NCAA Championships in the 200-yard backstroke at New Haven, Connecticut establishing a new American collegiate record of 1:56.2, while swimming for Princeton's Hall of Fame Coach Bob Clotworthy. Graef had formerly set a new collegiate record of 1:56.5 in a qualifying round at the meet. Graef's NCAA collegiate championship in the 200-yard backstroke more clearly identified him as America's potential top swimmer in the event, though he had already been ranked second in the World in the 200-meter by the summer of 1961. The team later worked out in Palo Alto, before taking their flight to Japan from Los Angeles on September 30.

Olympic gold medal

Graef won the gold medal in the men's 200-meter backstroke at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan on October 13, 1964. He became the first Princeton student to win a gold medal in swimming in the Olympics. Graef was somewhat aided in his quest for the gold, as Tom Stock, the reigning world record holder in the event was ill during the qualifying rounds and did not make the team. Graef later attributed his outstanding swim partly to a quick start, one of the best of his career. Graef's world record held for three years.

Later life Graef spent some time in Japan and the South Pacific after the games, staying through December 1964. He went to Egypt for several weeks in the summer of 1967 for the U.S. State Department to assist in the coaching and development of Egyptian swimmers, but his coaching, which included a strong psychological and motivational component, ended abruptly as a result of the outbreak of the Six-Day War in early June. In Egypt, he coached with his former coach, Bob Alexander.

U. Michigan and teaching psychology After the games, Graef studied for a Doctorate in psychology at the University of Michigan beginning around September 1965, and later became known as a prominent authority in sports psychology. He completed his Phd. from Michigan in 1969. He subsequently did research and taught for seven years at the University of Toronto, where he taught personality theories, and taught and performed psychological testing through around 1976. He began practicing Buddhism around the age of 32 in 1974, while still in Toronto. While in Rochester, he also worked as a computer programmer. Graef worked as a programmer for the government specializing in Housing and Urban Development, and housing for Section 8. by 2004 or earlier, as treasurer for the Vermont Zen Center. The Center had 200 members in 2003, and was planning to expand into a new building.

He became a member of the initial class of the Verona High School Hall of Fame in August 2004.

The "Jed Graef" Award, established around 1965 by the Verona Sports Booster Club was created to provide an annual award to a senior student at Verona High School who most exhibited the qualities of athletic ability, good sportsmanship, citizenship and scholarship. The Award was given annually through at least 1976.