| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Joseph Stuart Bottom | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | "Joe" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality |  United States |
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| Stroke(s) | Butterfly, 4×100m Freestyle, 4×100m Medley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Southern California | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | April 18, 1955 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Santa Clara, California | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6'4" (194 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 192 lbs (87 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Joseph ("Joe") Stuart Bottom[1] (born April 18, 1955 in Santa Clara, California) is an American, Hall of Fame swimmer and one time world record holder in 50 meter freestyle, 100 meter butterfly and 4×100 meter freestyle relay.
Born in Santa Clara, Bottom was a member of the Santa Clara Swim Club under noted swim coach George Haines.[2] He attended Santa Clara High School, where he contributed to the Panthers numerous California Interscholastic Federation — Central Coast Section championships and set several Section records from 1971–73.[3]
Bottom attended the University of Southern California, where he was an All-American swimmer for four years (1974–77); he graduated in 1977 with a BSEE and was a member of Eta Kappa Nu and Tau Beta Pi.[4][5] In 1977, he was the first swimmer ever to crack 20 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle, at 19.70.[6] He held USC's record for 50 yard freestyle until the 2006-2007 season, and has the third fastest 100 yard freestyle and sixth-fastest 100-yard butterfly times in school history. He won five NCAA individual and 4 relay titles with the Trojans. He was the captain of the 1977 Trojans swim team.[7][8] Known for an easygoing personality, Bottom was a fierce competitor during meets.[6][7]
At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Bottom won the Silver medal in the 100 meter Butterfly and came in sixth in the 100 meter freestyle. At the prime of his career, he was unable to compete at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow due to the U.S. Boycott.[7][8]
During the inaugural, 1973 World Aquatics Championships in Belgrade, Bottom took Silver in the 100 meter butterfly and Gold in both the 4×100-meter freestyle and 4×100-meter medley events. At the 1978 World Championships in Berlin he took Gold at the 100 meter butterfly as well as the 4×100-meter medley. He won nine U.S. National Championships between 1974 and 1980.[7]
On August 27, 1977, at the GDR-US dual meet in East Berlin, Bottom broke Mark Spitz's 5–year world record on the 100 meter butterfly with a time of 54.18. The night before the record-setting race, Bottom suffered from insomnia and took a sleeping pill only to oversleep and miss his usual pre-race warmup swim.[6] He was also a part of the team that set the world record in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay on September 1, 1974.[7]
In 2007, Bottom was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame.[8] He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2006.[7]
Bottom currently resides in Chico, California, where he is a management consultant and serving as Senior Manager in Accenture's Marketing Sciences Practice within the Retail Products Industry.[5][9] His younger brother, Mike Bottom, also swam at USC where he was a three time All-American (1975–77); Mike is currently one the world's top sprint coaches.[4][10][11]
References
- ^ Joe Bottom, Sports Reference LLC, Accessed August 13, 2008.
- ^ Santa Clara High School Reunion Event to Include Multiple Classes, Business Wire, March 19, 2008, Accessed August 13, 2008.
- ^ Historical Record of CCS Boys Swimming and Diving Championship Results, CIF — Central Coast Section, Accessed August 13, 2008.
- ^ a b USC Mens Swimming & Diving All-Americans, USC Trojans Athletic Department, Accessed August 13, 2008.
- ^ a b Joseph Bottom, LinkedIn, Accessed August 13, 2008.
- ^ a b c Jerry Kirshenbaum, Bottom Was Up To Topping A Mark, Sports Illustrated, September 5, 1977, Accessed August 13, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f 2006 Honor Swimmer: Joe Bottom, International Swimming Hall of Fame, October 13, 2006, Accessed August 13, 2008.
- ^ a b c 2007 Inductees For USC Athletic Hall of Fame Announced, USC Trojans Athletic Department, October 13, 2006, Accessed August 13, 2008.
- ^ Accenture Marketing Sciences: Retail & Sales Optimization — Leadership, Accenture, Accessed August 13, 2008.
- ^ Duncan Scott, Fred Bousquet, the Barrier Basher: Can You Say, “Déjà vu, All Over Again?”, Swimming World Magazine, March 24, 2005, Accessed August 13, 2008.
- ^ Player Bio: Mike Bottom :: Men's Swimming, Cal Bears Athletic Department, Accessed August 13, 2008.
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
Preceded by Jonty Skinner |
Men's 50 metre freestyle world record holder (long course) July 3, 1977 – July 29, 1978 |
Succeeded by Ron Manganiello |
| Preceded by Mark Spitz |
Men's 100 metre butterfly world record holder (long course) August 27, 1977 – April 11, 1980 |
Succeeded by Pär Arvidsson |
| Preceded by Bruce Stahl |
Men's 50 metre freestyle world record holder (long course) August 15, 1980 – August 15, 1981 |
Succeeded by Robin Leamy |
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