James Counsilman

James Edward Counsilman was born in Birmingham, Alabama on December 28, 1920, the youngest child of Otillia and Joseph Walter Counselman, both of German descent. His father had worked for a Circus, and his mother managed boarding houses for hospitals. His parents separated when he was two years old, and his father moved him and his older brother to St. Louis when Counsilman was six. His mother later moved to St. Louis and raised him and his older brother there, where James grew up.^[8]

Early swimming

He began his swimming career at the East St. Louis YMCA. When he became more involved in swimming as a young man, he trained frequently at St. Louis's Forest Park YMCA, where he began to swim in national meets. He competed for his High School swim and track team at Ben Blewitt High School on Enright Avenue, graduating in 1937, and also enjoyed football, basketball, and diving. In track and field, he excelled in the high jump.^[8]^[10]

Coach Ernie Vronbock

He was coached by Ernie Vronbock in his youth at the Downtown YMCA on Locust Street in St. Louis which had a 25-yard, six lane pool. Vronbock, whom Counsilman first met in the 1930s, would coach at the Y about 2-3 times a week, and left written training workouts for resident Coach Ted Ohashi. Vronbock was an important influence on Counsilman's life, and encouraged him to go to college, despite Counsilman's lackluster high school grades and very low class standing.^[11] Vronbock would help train Counsilman for meets, and provide auto transportation to a few AAU national meets.^[12] Graduating high school in the midst of the depression, Counsilman worked for a few years, as a lineman for the telephone company before starting college at Ohio State.^[12]

Counsilman would specialize in the "butterfly-breaststroke", a form of swimming the breaststroke partly developed and popularized in the mid-1930's by Counsilman's future coaching mentor at Iowa State, David Armbruster. To reduce drag, the stroke featured the swimmer removing his hands from the water, entering them outstretched over the head and performing what has always been the shallow pull to the sides with opposite arms used by the breaststroke. Many "butterfly-breaststroke" swimmers incorporated the dolphin kick into the "butterfly-breaststroke" which was usually faster and more efficient than the traditional frog or whip kick traditionally use by breaststroke swimmers. In the 1950s, when the butterfly stroke was adopted as a separate stroke into competition, breaststrokers were required to use the traditional underwater recovery retaining the elbows in the water, and the frog or whip kick was again required for all breaststroke competitors.^[13]^[14]^[15]^[8]

Ohio State era

He swam collegiately for Ohio State University beginning in the Fall of 1941 under Hall of Fame Coach Mike Peppe, and while in college set world-records in the 50 and 300 yard breaststrokes. His former coach, Ernie Vronboch who knew Coach Peppe, helped Counsilman gain admission to Ohio State. While a student, Counsilman worked part-time as an elevator operator at nights which gave him time to study, and he was provided a small room in a storage area. Counsilman was both a competitive swimmer and for about a year also served as an unpaid Assistant Coach under Peppe, who became an outstanding mentor. During his tenure as Coach, Peppe's Ohio State teams won 11 NCAA Championships and between 1943 and 1963 finished first or second in national competition in all but two years. After completing his military service in 1946, Counsilman returned to IU and served as a team Captain in 1946–47, graduating with a BA in physical education in 1947. He placed first in the 200 breaststroke at the 1946 Big Ten Conference championship, taking second in the event at the 1946 NCAA championships. The Ohio State swim team won two NCAA championships during his time as a competitor.^[8]^[13]^[14]

On June 15, 1943, he married Marjorie "Marge" Scrafford whom he first met at the Ohio State pool while they were both students there and Jim was serving as a lifeguard. The couple would have four children. An English major while later completing her education at Indiana, Marge was an active participant in Counsilman's career, and served as an editor for his books and publications. During their marriage, she assisted Doc by helping to market and distribute his innovative swimming products. She occasionally helped with the swim team's college assignments, and often hosted team members for talking sessions and home dinners. For her own contributions to the sport, she was honored as Swimming's "Grand Dame" by the International Swimming Hall of Fame, and swam often for fitness, during her retirement.^[1]^[16]

Air Force service

Drafted after completing time at Ohio State, Counsilman reported for duty in March 1943, and served in the United States Army Air Forces. After completing training, he left for Europe in January, 1945, where he served in Italy as a B-24 Liberator pilot with the 455th Bomb Group of the Fifteenth Air Force. Acting as a pilot on bombing raids, he completed 32 missions through May, 1945. At the end of a bombing mission at the age of 24, German flak shot down the B-24 Counsilman was piloting, and damaged the plane's landing gear, requiring Counsilman to crash land in a field in Yugoslavia, near the town of Zagreb. His careful piloting allowed all of his crew to survive, and he received the air medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his flying expertice.^[17]

Awards in national competitions

As shown at right, at the bottom of the infobox under Medal record, in national competition Counsilman took second place in the 1941 indoor championship in the 220 yard breaststroke. He captured first place in the 1942 Outdoor Champion in the 220 yard breaststroke, third place in the 1946 Outdoor Championship in the 200 m breaststroke and first place in the 1942 Outdoor Championships in the 220 yard breaststroke.^[14]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

Graduate education

After completing his undergraduate studies at Ohio State, Counsilman earned a master's degree in Science from the University of Illinois in 1948, where he served as an assistant coach under Head Coach Edward Manley.^[18]^[8]

Upon completion of his Masters, he pursued a doctorate degree in physiology from the University of Iowa with a focus on human performance where he studied under Hall of Fame Coach David Armbruster and also served as Armbruster' assistant swim coach from 1948 to 1951. He completed his degree in 1951. Armbruster was highly skilled in mentoring his swimmers in stroke technique, particularly the "breaststroke-butterfly", and the new butterfly after 1956.^[19] It was at Iowa that Counsilman coached his first two Olympians-Wally Ris and Bowen Stassforth.^[13]

Early life