George Breen

Breen was born in Buffalo, New York. He was a champion rower for Bishop Timon High School in Buffalo, and the West Side Rowing Club.^[1]

Breen attended Cortland State University, then known as Cortland State Teachers College, where he swam for Hall of Fame Coach James "Doc" Counsilman, from around 1952-1956. On May 15, 1956, as a college Senior, he won his signature event, the 1500 meter freestyle at the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming Championships at Cornell's Teagle Hall Pool in a time of 17:44.5. He completed the swim 140 yards ahead of the second place competitor. The event was held in a 25-yard pool. His time in the event, the whe he had won it the prior year was a 19:00.4. Breen was an All American three times while at Cortland State, and won All American honors with the American Athletic Union as well. During Counsilman's tenure as coach at Cortland State from 1952-1957, which included Breen's time as a competitor, the swim team had a noteworthy record of 35-5 in dual meets.^[3][4][5][6]

Many consider Breen's most significant single swim time, and greatest single effort, his 1500-meter Long Course World Record of 18:05.9 at the May 3, 1956 U.S. AAU Indoor Championship at Yale, referred to by Ohio State Coach Mike Peppe as “the single most brilliant effort in swimming since I’ve been coaching.” Breen reduced the standing world record by a substantial 13.1 seconds, and incredibly completed his swim a full 1:18, ahead of the second-place finisher, Frank Brunell, who had been an American National Champion many times. No prior swimmer had ever completed an event so far ahead of the second-place finisher in the history of the U.S. Nationals.^[1]

Breen represented the United States at the November 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. As a member of the second-place U.S. team in the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay, Breen earned a silver medal, together with Dick Hanley, Bill Woolsey and Ford Konno. He also took bronze medals in the 400-meter freestyle (4:32.5) and men's 1,500-meter freestyle (18:08.2) – after setting a new world record of 17:52.9 in the qualifying heats of the 1,500.^[1][2]

At the 1959 Pan American Games, he won a gold medal for his first-place finish in the 400-meter freestyle and a silver as the runner-up in the 1500-meter freestyle. He was elected team captain of the U.S. men for the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, and earned another bronze medal while competing in the men's 1,500-meter freestyle (17:55.9).^[1]

From 1960 -1962, he coached swimming for Indianapolis's Riviera Club. From 1962-1965, he relocated to the Northeast and served as the boy's swim coach at the Vespar Boat Club, a very strong program in Philadelphia. Breen coached the Penn Quakers men's swimming team at Philadelphia's University of Pennsylvania from 1966 until 1982, and served as a coach for U.S. Swimming. He formerly coached the Gloucester County Institute of Technology (Deptford, New Jersey) swim team, currently known as the Greater Philadelphia Aquatic Club, and at the Jersey Wahoos Swim Club in Mount Laurel, New Jersey.^[2][1][6]

He was active in swimming administration, and chaired the USA Swimming Olympic International Operations Committee. He was a member of Middle Atlantic Swimming’s Board of Directors, and also served on the Board of Directors of USA Swimming.^[1]

Breen was inducted into the International Swim Hall of Fame, the American Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and the Cortland State Hall of Fame.^[1]

Breen was a resident of Washington Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, where he coached local high school and club swim teams into his 70s.^[7] He was diagnosed with bone cancer of his right middle finger and had to have it amputated. After battling pancreatic cancer for several years, Breen died on November 9, 2019, in New Jersey.^[8]

• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
• World record progression 800 metres freestyle
• World record progression 1500 metres freestyle
• World record progression 4 × 200 metres freestyle relay