Mike Stamm

Michael Eugene Stamm (August 6, 1952 – June 24, 2026) was an American backstroke swimmer and world record holder who competed for Indiana University and represented the U.S. at the 1972 Munich Olympics where he won a gold and two silver medals.

Early life Born August 6, 1952, in San Pedro, California, with the original last name of Kostich, he was raised primarily by his grandparents and his mother, who worked long hours as a secretary to support him.

Coronado Swim Association

Once in greater San Diego, Stamm trained with the strong program at the Coronado Navy Swim team under demanding coach and former 1960 two-time Olympic champion Mike Troy. Looking back, Stamm marveled at the intensity of the training at Coronado, where he averaged 14,000 meters or around eight miles a day. The Coronado team was founded in 1963 as the Coronado Navy Swim Association, based in Coronado, California and associated with San Diego's nearby Coronado amphibious naval base. In June 1970, as a High School age record holder, he represented the Coronado Club at the Junior Olympics which hosted 100 of the leading area swimming competitors at Rancho Bernardo.

Indiana University Stamm was coached by James Counsilman at Indiana University, where he was awarded four varsity letters in swimming from 1971-1974. He swam for three NCAA championship teams and four Big 10 Conference Championship teams. A high achiever in national and regional meets, in 1973 he captured NCAA championships in the 100 and 200 meter backstroke events. He was notably a 200 meter backstroke world record holder.

1972 Munich Olympics Seven members of Stamm's Indiana Swim team qualified for the Munich Olympics, and they trained at Westpoint Academy in preparation.

The 20-year-old Stamm also won individual silver medals in the 100-meter backstroke in a world record time of 57.70, though gold medalist Roland Matthes, who finished ahead by 1.12 seconds had also set a world record of 56.58. He won a second silver medal in the 200-meter backstroke.

Records At that time, Stamm was the second-best backstroker in the world, behind East German Roland Matthes. Stamm briefly broke Matthes' world record in the 200-meter backstroke in 1970, but Matthes reclaimed it just three weeks later.

After graduating Indiana, he worked at a Hilton Head, South Carolina swim club as a director. He later settled in his hometown of San Diego in 1974 and worked a variety of jobs. In 1978, he set up the Mike Stamm Art Gallery in La Jolla's Village Hotel where he served as salesman, buyer, guide, and accountant.

Honors Stamm was inducted into the Indiana University Athletic Hall of fame in 1993 and the San Diego Hall of Champions in 1978.