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Mike Bottom
Mike Bottom (c. 1956) is an American former competitive swimmer at the University of Southern California, a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, and the ninth head coach of the Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving program at the University of Michigan, serving from 2008 to 2023.
Mike and his brother Joe swam for Northern California's renowned Santa Clara Swim Club under Hall of Fame Coach George Haines, and in College for the University of Southern California, under Hall of Fame Coach Peter Daland. At the Santa Clara Swim Club, Mike swam from the age of 14, and later played Water Polo for his Santa Clara High School Team. At USC, he was a five-time All-American and four-time USA National Team member. The swimming programs with which he competed and the coaches who trained him were considered exceptional in the swimming community.
Competing in the trials for the 100-meter butterfly, Bottom qualified for the U.S. Olympic swimming team for the Moscow 1980 Olympics, but America boycotted the Olympic Games that year.
From 1980 to 1990, Bottom spent around 10 years outside of swimming, including positions with Pacific Bell in San Ramon, Calif., as a systems analyst (1984–90), and in San Francisco with Utah International, Inc., as an internal controls analyst (1982–84).
Bottom served as assistant coach for the swimming team at Auburn University from 1991 until 1994, before serving as assistant coach for the University of Southern California swimming team until 1997. From 1998 until 2007, he was men's co-head coach for the University of California, Berkeley swimming team.
He was the personal coach for Gary Hall Jr., and later coached for The Race Club, the elite competitive swimming program in Islamorada, Florida, founded in 2003 by Hall and his father Gary Hall Sr. Bottom worked as a team coach in Vernier, Florida.
In June 2008, it was announced that Bottom would take over from Bob Bowman as head coach of the University of Michigan's swimming team. His Michigan men's team finished as champions at the 2013 NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships.
Bottom was particularly skilled in the careful study and development of freestyle swimming and was best known for creating top freestyle sprinters like Gary Hall and Anthony Ervin. He gave a ground-breaking lecture about the three styles of freestyle in 2007, which had a great impact on future swimmers and coaches. He often brought passion to his coaching lectures, and added excitement to his meets at halftime by sometimes adding dancers, musical performances, and such inventions as halftime underwater kicking races. Though his winning record was ebbing when he announced his retirement from Michigan at end of season in May 2023, his contributions to the sport of swimming remain evident.
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Mike Bottom
Mike Bottom (c. 1956) is an American former competitive swimmer at the University of Southern California, a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, and the ninth head coach of the Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving program at the University of Michigan, serving from 2008 to 2023.
Mike and his brother Joe swam for Northern California's renowned Santa Clara Swim Club under Hall of Fame Coach George Haines, and in College for the University of Southern California, under Hall of Fame Coach Peter Daland. At the Santa Clara Swim Club, Mike swam from the age of 14, and later played Water Polo for his Santa Clara High School Team. At USC, he was a five-time All-American and four-time USA National Team member. The swimming programs with which he competed and the coaches who trained him were considered exceptional in the swimming community.
Competing in the trials for the 100-meter butterfly, Bottom qualified for the U.S. Olympic swimming team for the Moscow 1980 Olympics, but America boycotted the Olympic Games that year.
From 1980 to 1990, Bottom spent around 10 years outside of swimming, including positions with Pacific Bell in San Ramon, Calif., as a systems analyst (1984–90), and in San Francisco with Utah International, Inc., as an internal controls analyst (1982–84).
Bottom served as assistant coach for the swimming team at Auburn University from 1991 until 1994, before serving as assistant coach for the University of Southern California swimming team until 1997. From 1998 until 2007, he was men's co-head coach for the University of California, Berkeley swimming team.
He was the personal coach for Gary Hall Jr., and later coached for The Race Club, the elite competitive swimming program in Islamorada, Florida, founded in 2003 by Hall and his father Gary Hall Sr. Bottom worked as a team coach in Vernier, Florida.
In June 2008, it was announced that Bottom would take over from Bob Bowman as head coach of the University of Michigan's swimming team. His Michigan men's team finished as champions at the 2013 NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships.
Bottom was particularly skilled in the careful study and development of freestyle swimming and was best known for creating top freestyle sprinters like Gary Hall and Anthony Ervin. He gave a ground-breaking lecture about the three styles of freestyle in 2007, which had a great impact on future swimmers and coaches. He often brought passion to his coaching lectures, and added excitement to his meets at halftime by sometimes adding dancers, musical performances, and such inventions as halftime underwater kicking races. Though his winning record was ebbing when he announced his retirement from Michigan at end of season in May 2023, his contributions to the sport of swimming remain evident.