Mike Bruner

Stanford University Bruner attended and swam for Stanford University, under Hall of Fame Head Coach James Gaughran, beginning in the Fall of 1974, and graduated in June 1979 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. In one of his first college meets at the Stanford Invitational Championships on November 29, 1974, he broke the pool and school record for the 500-yard freestyle event with a time of 4:32.2.

1976 Olympic gold medals In preparation for the 1976 Olympics, he left Stanford in the Spring semester and trained daily with Coach Bill Rose of the DeAnza Swim Club in Cuppertino, not far from his home in Stockton. At the June, 1976 Olympic trails at the Belmont Pool in Long Beach, Bruner qualified by placing fourth in the 200 freestyle with a 1:51.73, and finishing first in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:00.03. In the 200 fly trial final, Bruner edged out second place Bill Forrester of Jacksonville by only .05 seconds.

At the 1976 Montreal Olympics he won a gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay swimming with Bruce Furniss, John Naber, and Jim Montgomery setting a World record of 7:23.22. He won another gold setting a second world record of 1:59.23, in the 200-meter butterfly. Though originally planning to pass German swimmer Roger Pytell at the end of the race, Bruner was second to Pytell by the 100-meter mark, and took the lead by the 150-meter mark.

Two years later, in another career high point, he won the 1978 World Championships in West Berlin in the 200 m butterfly.

Honors Swimming World Magazine named Bruner its American swimmer of the year in 1980. In a highly distinctive honor, he was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1988. He was made a member of the Stanford University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1982, and was a J.H. Kiphuth Award recipient in 1980.