Jack Nelson competed at the 1956 Olympics in the butterfly, just missing a medal when he placed fourth in the 200 fly. Nelson was 1957 AAU indoor champion in the 200 fly. He later became a renowned coach, working with the Fort Lauderdale Swim Team, coaching over 30 high school state championship teams in Florida, and he was the 1976 US Olympic team women’s coach. He was inducted into the International Swim Hall of Fame in 1994 and the American Swim Coaches Hall of Fame in 2009. He graduated from the University of Miami in 1960 and served as head swim coach there from 1986-90. In 1993 Nelson was selected as the City of Fort Lauderdale’s Man of the Year for 1993. Nelson’s legacy was tarnished in the early 1990s when he was accused of sexual abuse by Diana Nyad, a renowned long-distance swimmer, and former pupil of Nelson’s.
United States