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Art Adamson: Aquatics Legend
Posted on Friday 24 June @ 22:59:07 |
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 February 23, 2005 marked the centennial of Art Adamson’s birth. In these one hundred years, both water polo and competitive swimming ...
---Forward---------------------------------------
Art Adamson was the genuine article. He was gruff and gentle at the same time. I can vividly remember watching a struggling student swimmer in the old natatorium. Just as I was preparing to rescue the guy Art came running out on the pool deck screaming at me. “Don’t you rescue him. Let him swim to shore.” At that point his focus went to the young man in the water. “Now put your head down...kick your feet...and pull with your arms,” he shouted gruffly. “You can do it.”
I watched in amazement as the male student followed the instructions. Art cajoled him to the bank.
That wasn’t the end of it though. Art went to the side of the pool where the young Aggie was sputtering and gasping for air and said. “Now, get a breath and swim to the other side.”
What amazed me most was young Aggie did as he was told. Art just winked at me. “He just needed a little encouragement.”, he said.
Jake Billingsley
CBS Survivor All-Star
Former Texas A&M Swimmer, Water Polo Player, Downs Natatorium Pool Manager
http://www.survivorjake.com
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...have undertaken changes and massive growth. Art contributed to over sixty years of advancement in both sports. Adamson’s arrival in the United States coincided with a time when water polo was a very violent sport, played with a partially deflated bladder leather ball. The game was more closely paralleled to softball than basketball, soccer, or hockey. The early years of United States water polo were hallmarked by strong media coverage, sell-out crowds and fierce competition between the major private athletic clubs. Adamson was part of group of teams that sparred regularly against the legendary Murray family of the New York Athletic Club. During Art’s player years the game changed into a controlled refereed sport. Competition swimming grew from lake racing to a scientifically studied sport.
Art Adamson is remembered as a gruff, demanding coach by the athletes under his tutelage, one that might throw a chair into the pool at them in practice in order to spur them onto faster swimming. Yet Adamson was also an ethical and caring coach, who would arrive at an athlete’s dorm to check on him when a practice was missed due to illness. He inspired his cadets with his very committed work ethic of twelve hour days and expected all his athletes to be as committed as he was. His Texas A&M “Tankers” swim team took this to heart, resulting in Southwest Conference championships and leading the conference in many individual events. They also achieved an impressive dominance of water polo at the national level.
Art possessed a zeal for competition, which was evident every time he stepped up on the deck of a swimming pool. During practice Art was always seen on the deck - even in old age - in his swimsuit and terry-cloth robe, ready to dive in the pool and challenge his swimmers to a sprint race in which he always won. Adamson was willing to help anybody learn to swim, and his coaching peers were often amazed at his ability to reshape an inexperienced swimmer into a top-performing athlete.
Art’s Aggies swam well not only because of their training, but also out of their respect for him. At swim meets he was seen with three stop watches around his neck and one in his hand, totally focused on getting the splits of his swimmers and planning tactics to beat his team’s opponents. This level of attention was also evident at water polo matches, where Art was very vocal in communicating with his team.
The Early Years
Born Arthur Douglas Adamson in England on February 23, 1905, Art’s illustrious amateur swimming career began after his family moved to New Zealand. As a teen, he set long standing swimming records in the 100 yard (0:57.20), 100 meter (1:03.40), and 220 yard freestyle distances. These races were swum without the benefit of flip turns and with the added complication of one-piece woolen tank swim suits. During Art’s free time outside of swim practice he became a renowned deep sea diver and a champion open water swimmer. Adamson’s polo career also began in New Zealand, where he played for the Witemata (Auckland) and Pirates (Napier) Clubs.
In order to pursue his dream of training with the fastest world-ranked swimmers, Art sailed as a penniless amateur athlete to the United States in 1927. His arrival in California was covered extensively by newspaper sports reporters. Adamson’s dashing physique and bright blue eyes gained him the moniker of “The New Zealand Beauty”. After training in several locations on the west coast, Art moved to the Midwest. While a member of the Illinois Athletic Club (IAC), he competed with and against Buster Crabbe and Johnny Weissmuller. Art outpaced Johnny for a new world record in the 100 yard freestyle; shortly thereafter Weissmuller eclipsed Art’s record.
During the late twenties, Art both played and coached his IAC team to the Water Polo National Championship. The Illinois team lost to the national champions, the New York Athletic Club (NYAC). This would be the last time he would be defeated - as a player or coach - for a decade.
Art then traveled south to Texas to care for his ailing brother in Dallas. After moving on to Houston he swam championship times for Houston Y.M.C.A. in the Texas Amateur Athletic Federation (T.A.A.F.) and the Gulf Amateur Athletic Union (G.A.A.U).When working as a pool manager and swim coach at the Houston River Oaks Country Club, Art met and married his future his wife, Nora in 1928. Their son, Van, a future Southwest Conference Champion swimmer, was born in 1930.
Texas A&M
In 1934, The Southwest Conference mandated that swimming would be a recognized sport with both athletic scholarships and competitions. Subsequently, Texas A&M College’s initial swim team was formed. The following year, Art was asked by some River Oaks Country Club members to recommend the best coach to take on the helm of the Aggie team. He immediately responded that he was the most qualified individual for the position. Art moved with his family to College Station in 1935 and became the first full time Aggie swim coach. The school had just constructed the P. L. Downs Natatorium, a state-of-the-art facility.
This indoor pool was 33 1/3 yards long, 20 yards wide and featured a diving area, heated water, a filtration system, large double male locker rooms and stadium seating. Deck heating was provided only for the Aggie “Tanker” bench. Maroon and white tile mosaics outfitted the entire pool surface and deck.
Adamson had not previously received any form of “higher education” when he was hired to coach at Texas A&M. After organizing his collegiate program, he embarked on completing his education by attending Allen Academy in Bryan Texas, where he obtained his high school diploma. Art went on to become a rare combination of student/coach/instructor at Texas A&M, completing both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Texas A&M in Economics. The university would later grant Adamson an honorary doctorate.
Under the university’s graduation requirements during Art’s tenure, all Texas A&M graduates were required to pass a fifty yard swim test which was personally evaluated by Coach Adamson. If the student could not swim, dog paddle, or float for the distance, then he would be enrolled in Adamson’s physical education swim class until he safely completed the distance. Over 25,000 college students received Adamson’s swim instruction. Many of the WWII Texas A&M cadets survived their D-Day experiences because of Adamson’s physical education swim classes.
Art’s collegiate teams would yearly battle both SMU and University of Texas for Southwest Conference dominance. In 1944, the Aggie Tankers shared their first conference title with the University of Texas. His team, in 1946, won the Southwest Conference Title, an accolade which they would not obtain again until 1956. Adamson’s team would go on to produce twenty eight individual conference champions, including his son, Van Douglas Adamson. The team would gain four relay conference wins against the dominant University of Texas. Adamson built most of his teams from the raw recruits he found within his swim classes. Harold Hensley, one swimmer who came to Texas A&M as an aquatic novice, learned to swim in an irrigation ditch. After Adamson’s coaching, Hensley brought to the team four SWC championship-winning races from 1940 to 1941.
Similar to many collegiate teams of Art’s era, the swimming and water polo programs were mixed and difficult to separate. At Texas A&M, Art required all of his swimmers to train for water polo. The academic year began with extensive distance swimming. From September to late November, all practices were scheduled for polo and stressed techniques and passing drills. This training was followed by weeks of daily full-practice scrimmages. The Texas A&M Swimming Team would commence training in late November immediately after the water polo season; during the regular swim season many of the teams’ dual swim meets also culminated in water polo matches.
Adamson brought a blend of West Coast and New Zealand style of water polo play to his Texas A&M students. By studying the Hungarian National Water Polo Team, Art was able to intensify the play of his Aggie Tankers. Players received many chalk board tactical lectures. During practices, Adamson stressed ambidextrous passing and catching. He highly disfavored wet passes. Many of his team’s workouts were defined as left handed practices. Often the polo matches were won because Art’s players effectively utilized accurate and fast back-hand and skip shots - using either their left or right hands. His players were taught to quickly set up offensive triangles in front of the cage. Often during his long tenure, Adamson would suit up and get in the water during polo practice. He would then teach the players how to use their feet, toes, and legs to control, maneuver, and to de-suit the opposing teams’ players. When in the pool, he also gave intense instruction on turning tactics and defense. His athletes in the set position were taught to gracefully deflect and tip the incoming polo ball into the cage, but away from the goalie. Both strategy and ball handling skills produced legendary winning teams.
Under his strong guidance, Adamson’s early polo teams rose to superiority and dominance. From 1934 to 1950 the Texas A&M Water Polo Team lost only one national championship final game. During those years they had 44 victories, 5 defeats, and one tie. In 1938 the polo team obtained the Junior National A.A.U. Championship by winning 27 of 28 tournament games. They attended the National Tournament in 1939. In 1942 the team was effectively benchless, because the cadets leaving for war, yet still won the Texas State Water Polo League. In Adamson’s thirty four years, Aggie water polo teams won 95 games and lost only 19 matches. His polo team would again rule as National Champions in1965.
Art’s teams traveled to many locations for tournaments and games. They played universities, colleges, private clubs, and high schools. These teams included: Texas, Baylor, West Point, Navy, Galveston, Tulsa, Illinois, and Oklahoma Universities/Colleges. Club opponents would include: Houston YMCA, Kansas City Athletic Club, Dallas Athletic Club, Illinois Athletic Club, Merrimac Patrol of St. Louis, and New York Athletic Club. Art financed the team’s travels through concessions on the sales of swim suits and mandatory bathing caps to students, athletes, faculty, and recreational swimmers. In order to save facility expenses, athletes were required to clean all of the Downs’ locker rooms.
Contributions to the Local Community
In 1938, in order to educate the rural public surrounding Texas A&M College, Adamson organized an aquatic spectacle at the P.L. Downs Natatorium. The water carnival paralleled similar events which were held in San Francisco, New York, and Chicago. Admission was twenty five cents. The most renowned national stunt and competition divers, synchronized swimmers, and competition swimmers converged on the tiny college town. The Sunny Brock Orchestra provided musical accompaniment. The event culminated with a water polo match between the Aggies and an all-star national team recruited by Art. Adamson was quoted in an interview by the Bryan Eagle, “I want to see if the boys (Aggies) are in shape for the Junior National A.A.U. hardball tournament in St. Louis and this is my chance to see. They might break my record (undefeated as a player or coach for ten years), but I am willing to risk it.” The Aggie coach finished the interview by adding, “Those all-stars will have a tough time doing it the way my team feels about the game.”
After initiating a faculty swim instruction program, Coach Adamson began to teach the faculty’s family members to swim. These efforts branched out into a very large public summertime swimming program. 15,000 children from the Brazos Valley would eventually learn basic swimming skills under Art’s instruction. In 1941 he was instrumental in creating the College Station Parks and Recreation Department. His swim lesson program blossomed into a summer league team and an A.A.U. year-round swim team. Competing against large city teams, Art’s A.A.U. team had tremendous success. These swimmers would receive the same commitment from Adamson as his college athletes would. Many of his competition swimmers were expected to take his lifeguard training class. Even as an aged coach, Adamson presented an especially foreboding drowning victim for the teenagers to “save”. Many of the teens had to repeat their junior and senior lifesaving training, because they were unable to save the older Adamson. In recognition of Art’s contributions to the aquatic field, College Station named their newly opened fifty meter competition pool, the Art Adamson Pool in 1970.
During Adamson’s lengthy career he contributed much to high school swimming and water polo. His efforts have permeated throughout the nation in both sports. He coached both the A&M Consolidated and Bryan (Stephen F. Austin) High Schools along with his Aggies. Art’s very small high school teams of one to five athletes regularly placed high at the state level, often winning the entire competitions. He coached multiple All American High School athletes and set many Texas state records. His high school swimmers regularly trained with the Texas A&M freshman water polo teams. Art’s teams included female athletes as early as 1948 (and possibly before this date). Prior to this time, girls did not compete in any sports at either high school. Art’s son Van was a high school champion in 1944, 1947 and 1948. Diving was incorporated into his high school teams as early as 1955.
Coaching Professionalism
Art’s tenure produced many Texas A&M graduates who would take their accumulated knowledge of swimming and polo back to their home pools. Several of Art’s athletes became noted coaches in his image. Donn Boyd has been commended by TISCA for his twenty four years of coaching. Richard Hunkler, a Slippery Rock Coach, was inducted into the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Hall of Fame in 2002. Hunkler’s efforts with women’s water polo have greatly contributed to the modern growth of the sport. Art further committed many hours to the Gulf Amateur Athletic Union, especially in stoke definition. Adamson was instrumental in the creation of the Texas Age Group Championship Swim Meet. Now referred to as TAGS, the first meet was held at Texas A&M University, with Coach Adamson as meet director.
As a coach, Art was always willing to try innovations. Both his swimmers and polo players utilized the fastest competition suits available at the time. These suits changed from one-piece woolen tankers to nylon briefs. After noting the speed of some national distance swimmers’ training, Art built a pace chasing-rabbit trolley contraption. Each of his swimmers had their own rabbit, to follow up and down the pool at practice. Art built starting blocks and also installed lane ropes, bulk heads, and pace clocks. He kept his training on the cutting edge of stroke development, and during his career major changes occurred to all four strokes. He applied these refinements to his college, high school, A.A.U., and summer league programs. Over thirty four years he taught his swimmers the ever evolving racing starts and turns. Art understood the differences of sprint and distance training and applied them in his coaching. His athletes were introduced to weight training, two-a-day practices, and exergenie plyometric machines. His college athletes underwent shave and taper techniques at the culmination of their seasons. Many of his swimmers’ freestyle sprint times are still considered to be noteworthy high school competition times.
A Lasting Legacy
In 1968, Art Adamson coached his final Texas A&M University water polo team. During that year his assistant - Melvin Pat Patterson - took on the direction of the Aggie swim team. Adamson, who continued teaching swimming at the university until 1970, was involved with his recreational and his A.A.U. swim teams until 1971. The longest tenured coach in the history of the university, Art was designated as Professor Emeritus by Texas A&M in 1970. Further accolades were showered on Adamson by his former swimmers, coaching peers, and the city of College Station. Ending an amazing dynasty, Arthur Douglas Adamson died on March 27, 1972. He was survived by his wife of forty four years, Nora, his son Van, and four grandchildren.
Arthur Douglas Adamson left a lasting impression on all the swimmers and water polo players he taught and coached. He is particularly remembered for bringing the fledgling sport of water polo to the state of Texas. Coach Adamson is fondly remembered by his students as a man who gave them strong ethical direction and trained them to compete to the best of their abilities. His athletes have gone on to become financiers, bank CEOs, ranchers, designers, adventurers, and even coaches. They continue to spread his legacy across distance and time like the ripple produced by a pebble dropped in a pond.
Quote from Van Adamson, Art’s son: "Dad's accomplishments and contributions to others were many, but most of all, he provided discipline, love and morality to thousands of young people.”
Quote from Doug Adamson, Art’s grandson: "Art had the highest level of character and integrity of anyone I have ever known."
Honors
Honorary PhD Texas A&M University
Helms Foundation Hall of Fame1956
Texas Interscholastic Swimming Coaches (TISCA)
Award for contributions to Texas high school programs
ASCA 25 Year Service Award
Texas Swimming Hall of Fame
Texas Pool Hall of Fame 1967
Red Cross 40 Year Service Award in Aquatics and Water Safety
Texas A&M University Professor Emeritus
Texas A&M University Art Adamson Scholarship Fund
Texas A&M longest tenured coach
TISCA created the Art Adamson Water Polo Coach Award
College Station builds a public Adamson Pool 1970
Coaching Accomplishments
Coached five Collegiate All Americans
Coached one Olympian, Brazilian Tetsuo Okamoto (third place in 1500 M 1952)
Coached two National Water Polo Championship teams
Coached the winning Southwest Conference Swim Teams
Acknowledgements:
Van Adamson
Marsha Adamson
Doug Adamson
Robert Stallings
Texas A&M University Athletic Media Relation Department
Texas A&M University Alumni Association
Texas A&M University Athletic Hall of Fame
Cushing Memorial Library
Texas A&M University Archives
College Station Parks and Recreation Department
City of Bryan Library
The Eagle Newspaper
Steve Bultman
Kristin Hill
Jake Billingsley
Donn Boyd
Robert Leland
Betsy Lehnert
Charles Szabuniewicz
David Gerling
Vera Vowell
D.L. Jordan
J.J. Ruffino
Compiled and written by Sara-Jane A. Miles Jordan
Coach Adamson:
Downs Natatorium:
Polo Board Talk:
SWC Champs 1946:
Retirement 1970:
Adamson, Norm Ufer & Dick Hunkler in 1957:
Adamson Pool 1970:
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Art Adamson: Aquatics Legend | (Score: 1)
by: Johnboy
on: Saturday 20 December @ 17:55:33
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| Art Adamson taught me how to swim in the Downs Natatorium circa 1948 at the age of 6 when I could just touch bottom at the shallow end without drowning. As children of an A&M faculty member, my older brother Jim and I were allowed to take lessons. Later in our teens we regularly worked out with folks like Dick Hunkler, John Harrington, the Ufer brothers, Roland Baird, and Tetsuo Okamoto, to name a few. There was quite a flock of us faculty kids (including Ed Lehr, Howie Mitchell, Pam Hayes, Bruce Thompson) that Coach Adamson would take to swim meets in the summer including Dad's Club in Houston and Highland Park in Dallas. I even taught swim lessons and was able to place in the Texas high school finals (IM) at the Natatorium when I was a senior in 1961. In spite of his chain smoking, Coach Adamson could kick our butts in short races. He could also "plunge" (dive in, no strokes, no breathing) the full 100' length of the pool. He once gave me a ride in his sports car, a tiny Austin-Healy "Bug-Eyed" Sprite. I'll never forget his office that abutted the pool but was a few feet lower--to enter from the pool deck you had to push open a window and step down. I swam and played water polo on the Aggie team 1962-1963 but must have been a disappointment because I wasn't worth shooting. John CoVan
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