Donna DeVarona

International Swimming Hall of Fame board of directors including Donna de Varona, Mark Spitz, and Bruce Wigo

Donna de Varona is a member of the board of directors of the International Swimming Hall of Fame and a pioneer in the field of female athletics and broadcasting. She made her first Olympic team in 1960 at the age of 13 and won two gold medals at the 1964 summer Olympics.

The following year, at the age of 17, she became the first woman on network TV as a sports broadcaster. In 1974, Donna helped found the Women's Sports Foundation and pioneered the fight for increasing athletic opportunities for women in high school and college. In 1991 she received an EMMY for her work during the Special Olympics. She was chair for the 1999 Women's World Cup of soccer in America and served on the board of NY City's 2012 Olympic Bid Committee. Donna has been inducted into several Halls of Fame, including the International Swimming Hall of Fame and is the recipient of the NCAA's Teddy Roosevelt Award, the organization’s highest honor.

Olympic Television Announcing

DeVarona is shown on ABC-TV announcing the 1976 Montreal Olympics women's 400m freestyle relay with Kim Peyton, Wendy Boglioli, Jill Sterkel and Shirley Babashoff as they pulled one of the greatest upsets in Olympic and sporting history when they set a world record while beating the heavily favored the East German team.

Most Influential

She was named one of the 30 Most Influential People in Swimming over the Past 30 Years by USA Swimming and Speedo USA.

External links

• Let Equality Ring, Cashing In On A College Scholarship
• The State of Female Opportunities In Sport In The U.S.
• A Possible Future For American Female Collegiate Athletic Opportunities
• 30 Most Influential People in Swimming + 3
• International Swimming Hall of Fame
• International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame
• 50 Is New 30, 60 Is The New 40 In The Open Water
• A Great Mix With Boglioli, The Benefits Of Swimming
• Shirley Babashoff Honored In California
• There Are Victims On Both Sides
• Federation Internationale de Natation: An Open Letter Asking FINA To Recognize All Victims During The DDR Olympic Reign
• Will The Last Gold Be A Beginning?