There have been a number of outstanding backstrokers in the open water: Americans Tina Neill and James Christie, Italians Giovanni Arrabito and Ettore Mercuri, and Australian Hamish Osborne among many others.

One of the greatest backstrokers in pool swimming history, John Naber, has also lent his voice and passion as an announcer in numerous open water swimming competitions, from the RCP Tiburon Mile to the MPSF Open Water Swimming Championships.

Recent articles about two of his 1976 Olympic teammates, Bobby Hackett* and his famed 100 x 100 @ 1:00 sets performed in a 4-lane, no-gutter pool at Fordham University (read here), and Mike Bruner who did a fast 10,000-yard fundraising swim (read here), call to mind the tough sets that Naber himself performed…on his back.

His Olympic teammates were – predictably – extremely hard workers in the pool…as was Naber.

As a high school student, Naber trained under George French at Ladera Oaks Swim Club in northern California. French recalled that the most attended workout all year around was held the day before Christmas where he would task his swimmers with a 1650-yard butterfly (66 laps of the 25-yard pool). Naber recalled, “George also had a workout where we would race every event on the 4-day National Championship schedule in order. We would proud to be able to say that we pushed ourselves to pain.”

When Naber matriculated to USC where he won 10 individual NCAA Division I titles, 5 relay titles, and 4 overall team titles, he carried that same training mindset with him as a Trojan. He recalls, “It was during Hell Week during my freshman year at USC. I wanted to push myself mentally and asked to do a straight 10,000-yard set backstroke. I got a lane to myself and the assistant coach Rob Orr recorded all of my splits. It was a mental exercise. There were no breaks. I finished that first 10,000 backstroke in my freshman year in 1 hour 48 minutes [averaging 1:04.8 per 100]. But my fingertips were rubbed raw because of all the flips turns in the old 25-yard USC pool.**

I did the 10,000-yard backstroke set four times at USC, always in December. I wore paddles during my sophomore, junior, and senior years and gradually got faster each year, eventually dropping my time to 1 hour 44 minutes [averaging 1:03.6 per 100].“

It was during the summer between his junior and senior years at USC when Naber won five Olympic medals (including 4 gold, all in world record time) at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. “I always tell people that my best event would have been the 800m backstroke. I would have been untouchable,” he said only half joking.

That stamina – developed over the years – helped Naber set the American record in the 1650-yard freestyle in 15:09.6, almost 6 seconds under the existing record, at the 1975 US Swimming National Championships held in Cincinnati (read here). But there was a reason for his unexpected record-setting performance in the distance freestyle race. “I was swimming in the last heat during the morning preliminary heats. There were maybe 12 people in the stands, but my coach Peter Daland was on the side of the pool. I got up to the starting blocks, but only 7 swimmers were present. Suddenly, one of the swimmers comes running towards the blocks and the starter asks the swimmers to get off the blocks. Well, one of the swimmers – who was present at the start – jumps in the competition pool, and got disqualified. I was upset that the swimmer who was there was disqualified and the swimmer who was late was allowed to swim.

I wanted to jump in the pool too and be disqualified as a protest, but Coach Daland signaled me to accept the situation. So I swam angry. I got into a rhythm and glanced over to my coach who simply held his fist out with his thumb up in the air. I was swimming well – and ended up breaking the American record in the heats in the morning.”

Mentally tough, 100% through and through, on his back and on his stomach.

* In an interesting twist in history, Bobby Hackett and John Naber were roomates during the 1976 Olympic training camp.

** In the 1970’s, backstrokers had to touch the wall with one hand and did no underwater dolphin streamlines as do contemporary swimmers.

© 2025 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“

A World Open Water Swimming Federation project.