Degener, Richard K.
Diving
b. March 14, 1912
With one dive to go in the 1936 Olympic springboard competition, Degener was well behind teammate Marshall Wayne. He could have played it safe and settled for the silver medal. Instead, he went out all out and performed a nearly perfect full twist with a one-and-a-half somersault for a score of 19.55. When Wayne came up short on his final dive, scoring only 15.54 points, Degener had the gold medal.
He was the bronze medalist in the springboard at the 1932 Olympics. Diving for the University of Michigan, he won the NCAA springboard championship in 1933 and 1934. Degener also won twelve national championships, in the outdoor springboard from 1933 through 1936; the indoor 1-meter springboard in 1933 and 1934; the indoor 3-meter springboard from 1932 through 1936; and the outdoor platform in 1935.