Matt Gribble

Matthew Owen Gribble (March 28, 1962 – March 21, 2004) was an American high school and college competitive swimmer, 1982 World Aquatics champion, two-time U.S. Olympic team member, and an August 1983 world record-holder in the 100-meter butterfly. He also swam on a 4x100 U.S. medley relay team at the August 1982 World Aquatics championships that set a world record of 3:40.84. Gribble began swimming around the age of seven, taking a two-year break when he reached 14, and resuming serious high school competition at 16 which included training year round. Though his college coach Bill Diaz characterized him as a consistently hard worker, he occasionally missed practices at several points in his long fourteen-year career as a competitive swimmer.

In April 1979, though not a leader in statewide competition, the Miami Palmetto boys team was rated first in Florida's Dade County with an undefeated 14–0 record, and Gribble was on the Dade County Honor roll with a first place 1:57.9 in the 200 individual medley, a first place 51.88 in the 100 butterfly, and a second in the 100 backstroke with a 56.5. Gribble also played water polo for Miami Palmetto and was recognized for his performance in mid-October 1979.

In his Senior year at Miami Palmetto, in April 1980, Gribble came in third in the 100-meter butterfly at the U.S. Nationals, and gained considerable recognition. Then, in the Olympic trials in July 1980, he came in second in the event to University of Texas swimmer William Paulus, suddenly placing Gribble in the national spotlight. He was a three-time all American during his swimming career at U. of Miami.

Though an exceedingly hard worker who had been training as an elite swimmer for around eight years prior to the Olympics, Gribble was described by his Hurricane Swim Club Coach Charlie Hodgson as occasionally missing one of his two daily workouts or missing an occasional interview. He was characterized by teammates as "totally laid back and always congratulating his competitors", and described as "a real shy guy" and not particularly talkative during meets. His U.S. relay team of Rick Carey, Steve Lundquist, himself, and Rowdy Gaines also won the 4x100 meter medley relay in a world record time of 3:40.84. In late July 1983, based on his steady performance in the 100-meter butterfly and her belief that he would soon break the world record in the event, Christine Brennan of the Miami Herald wrote that Gribble "should and probably will win an Olympic Gold Medal in 1984." With his solid 100-meter butterfly time at World's and his 100-meter butterfly world record at Nationals less than two weeks earlier on August 6, Gribble remained a leading contender in the event for the 1984 Olympics. Not the world's fastest freestyler, his respectable 50.71 in the 4x100 freestyle relay helped anchor swimmer Rowdy Gaines touch first for the American team's gold medal, but Gribble's time was not the team's fastest.

1984 U.S. Olympic competitor He was a member of the U.S. Olympic teams in 1980 and 1984. As America boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics during President Jimmy Carter's term, Gribble and the American team did not attend. In 1983, Gribble had trained stringently for the Olympics primarily with University of Miami Assistant Coach Charlie Hodgson, who had also coached Gribble with the Hurricane Swim Club for nine years, since around 1974. diagnosed with a "neurological imbalance" and a calcium deficiency.

As a result of his injury, Gribble swam the 16th fastest time with a 55.39 in the Olympic preliminaries in Los Angeles, and could not match his 1983 world record time which would have resulted in a bronze medal. His time placed him only .53 seconds behind the bronze medal winner Glen Buchannon from Australia. He did not make the cut for the eight finalists, as his injury, and a highly competitive field, with the top seven finalists setting national records or personal bests, hindered Gribble's chances.

Later life After his competitive swimming career ended, Gribble was an accountant for Hasbro and owned a number of tax companies.

On March 21, 2004, at age 41, Gribble died in a head-on automobile accident in Southwest Miami-Dade County near The Falls Shopping Center between SW 92nd and S. Dixie Highway in Miami. A driver veered over the center lane and hit his car head-on. His son Trey was hospitalized but was in stable condition and recovered. He was survived by mother and father John and Barbara, brothers David and Mark, sister Lenore, all from Houston where he was born. Other survivors included his son Trey Hern and girlfriend Jeanne Castro of Miami. As a serious 1984 Olympic gold medal prospect in the 100-meter butterfly, Gribble was filmed with his college girlfriend Patty Anderson in March 1984, for ABC's TV program Up Close and Personal, and was also featured in the June issue of Life Magazine. When he won his first NCAA title as a Miami Sophomore, his picture was painted on a wall at the University of Miami with teammates, Olympic Diver Greg Louganis and swimmers Jesse Vassallo and David Wilkie. At the time of his death in 2004, the University of Miami Men's Swim Team had been disbanded.

After his death, a 50-yard sprint "Legends Race" to honor Gribble, and benefit Special Olympics was held on Saturday afternoon, May 22, 2004, at the Miami Rowing Club Pool on Rickenbacker Causeway. Legendary swimmers Mark Spitz, Miami University teammates Jesse Vassallo & Kurt Wienants, and Felope Munoz, Tim McKee, and Robert Strauss competed. An annual Matt Gribble Invitational swim tournament at the University of Miami in Coral Gables has also been held in his honor.

In a tribute in 2005, the corner of SW 117th Ave. and 128 St. in Miami was renamed Matthew O. Gribble Street.