Hall of Fame
Henry Potter became Ohio University’s first swimming All-American when he placed sixth in the NCAA 100-yard freestyle in 1955. He won the 50- and 100-yard Mid-American Conference freestyle championships all three years, 1954, 1955, 1956, a rare feat. He also anchored three MAC championship relay teams. He helped his team win the MAC swimming championship in 1954 when he won both the 50 – and 100-yard freestyles and anchored the 400-yard medley relay in a record performance. In 1955, he set five records in the OU pool and another at Kenyon as he had six firsts. In 1956, he set seven pool parks plus a new MAC record. He lost only three individual races in three years of dual competition. Potter competed only in ninth-grade swimming prior to college, and it was a college football injury that turned him to competitive swimming at Ohio University.
