Bob Gaughran's Bio 1958-65

Who coached swimming and water polo from 1958-65 .

Coach Bob Gaughran Inspired Olympians Top

Bob was the M-A water polo & swimming coach & his brother, Jim was the Stanford University & Olympic Club coach. These two men instilled in their athletes the belief that we had the potential to participate in the Olympics.

Bob came to Menlo-Atherton in 1958 & left in 1965 to take a college position in Southern California. During those fabulous seven years, he profoundly affected the direction of aquatic sports in Northern California & the lives of numerous M-A students, myself included.

Coach Gaughran had the ability & perseverance to make us believe we could accomplish the impossible, or at least the improbable. He convinced his proteges that under his tutelage we were invincible. All my close friends worked out to qualify for the Olympic Games. My teammate (& cousin) was told he had "great international potential." We maintained a very grandiose concept of our futures. Bob knew precisely how to recruit talent, teach fundamentals, develop great strategies, &, formost, get the very best out of his players. He made the experience rewarding, memorable & incredibly fun.

During the Gaughran era there were over 30 All-Americans at M-A, his teams set seven national records, & many people felt that his undefeated Northern California championship teams during the 1961-62 season were the finest combined water polo & swimming teams in the entire United States.

Bob was an outstanding athlete himself, despite the fact that his eyesight was notoriously poor. Without his glasses all he could see in the pool was the orange ball & goal perimeter. He certainly knew how to put that ball in that cage with gusto. He always maintained that his bad eyesight blocked unnecessary distractions, like the referee & all the other players in the pool.

Humor aside, it struck me tht we really do immortalize our coaches in America. In many cases it is justified. Outside of my family, Bob Gaughran has undoubtedly had the greatest influence on my life. He recruited me from the M-A football team, taught me how to excel in two sports in which I had no previous experience, set me up with numerous (two) M-A coeds, obtained a full scholarship for me at his alma mater (where I met my wife Jan), & most important, was my inspiration for deciding that teaching & coaching were the most noble of all pursuits. I was amazingly idealistic during the early 1960s. Some of that positive thinking & Gaughran's magic paid great dividends for "Bob's Boys." My friend & classmate, Greg Buckingham ('63) set a world record & was the silver medal winner in the individual medley at the 1968 Games. That cousin of mine--Dick Roth--set his world record while winning the gold medal, also in the I.M. at the Tokyo Games in the fall of 1964. This made Dick the greatest all-around swimmer in the world while still a senior at M-A.

Thank you Coach Gaughran, not only for many years of dedicated service, but more importantly, because you have been such a positive influence on those individuals fortunate enough to have experienced your mentoring & friendship.

By Jim MacKenzie, M-A Class of 1963
M-A Teacher and Parent of 2 M-A graduates
(Jim is a contributing writer for the Country Almanac This article appeared 9/4/96)