Jon Urbanchek and Michael Phelps

Renowned Hungarian-American swimming coach Jon Urbanchek died on May 9 at age 87.   Urbanchek coached the men’s swim team at the University of Michigan from 1982 to 2004 and won thirteen Big Ten Conference titles, and the 1995 N.C.A.A. championship. The swimmers he coached at either Michigan or in the Olympics or both included Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky, Tom Dolan, and Tom Malchow. Forty-four of the swimmers he trained participated in the Olympics, collectively (not counting Phelps) winning 21 medals, 11 of them gold.

Phelps, who won a record 28 Olympic medals, including 23 gold, called Urbanchek “one of the most influential” people “in my life” who taught him much “in and out of the pool.”

 Bob Bowman, who coached Phelps for many years at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club and in several Olympics, replaced Urbanchek at Michigan when the highly successful coach retired.

 In The Greatest of All-Time: Fifteen Fantastic Athletes, I explain how Bowman helped Phelps become arguably the greatest Olympian of all time. I also provide a case for why Phelps deserves the GOAT title and analyze the other principal contenders for this honor—American jumper Ray Ewry, American sprinter and broad jumper Jesse Owens, Finnish distance runner Paavo Nurmi, Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, American sprinter and broad jumper Carl Lewis, and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.