Robert J. H. Kiphuth

Robert John Herman Kiphuth (November 17, 1890 – January 7, 1967) was an American swimming coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head men's swimming coach at Yale University for 41 years, from 1918 to 1959. During his tenure with the Yale Bulldogs swimming and diving team, he amassed a record of 520 wins to only 12 losses, along with four NCAA titles (1942, 1944, 1951, 1953), earning a reputation as one of America's most winning swim coaches in the history of the sport.

Coaching achievements and philosophy Kiphuth was born to John and Marie E. Kiphuth in Tonawanda, New York on November 17, 1890. Tonawanda, in the greater Buffalo area, was not known for producing great swimmers, but several great swim coaches. Though he was an exercise, gymnastics, and fitness instructor, he left the gym to begin his duties at the old Carnegie Pool when Matt Mann left as Yale swim coach in 1917. His success as a swim coach was immediate and ongoing, and his innovative approach was quickly adopted by many in the swimming community. He was largely responsible for the modern training approach to the sport of swimming, with his focus on dryland workouts, and interval training.

Swimming community roles From 1951 to 1961, Kiphuth was the first publisher and a co-founder of Swimming World Magazine, which heralded a more informed approach to assessing swimming competition on the team and individual level. The magazine was another of his gifts to the swimming community and an important part of his legacy.

Since 1968, the high-point award at the USA's Swimming National Championships has been named in his honor (the "Kiphuth Award").

In 1965 he was inducted as an Honor member into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. He is also in the Buffalo, NY. area Sports Hall of Fame.