Kiphuth, Robert J. H.
Swimming
b. Nov. 17, 1890, Tonawanda, NY
d. Jan. 7, 1967
Though he reputedly couldn't swim a stroke, Kiphuth became one of the all-time great swimming coaches. Originally a physical educator at the Tonawanda, New York, YMCA and then at Yale University, Kiphuth became Yale's swim coach in 1918.
Because of his background in physical education, Kiphuth was the first coach to emphasize land training for his swimmers, who spent two months doing exercises and working out on apparatus before entering the water. He also pioneered interval training, in which short, all-out sprints to build speed are mingled with distance training to build endurance.
During his forty-two years at Yale, his teams won 528 of 540 dual meets, including 165 in a row from 1924 to 1937. Yale won NCAA team championships in 1942, 1944, 1951, and 1953. Kiphuth also coached the New Haven Swim Club to AAU national indoor championships in 1949, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1955, and 1957. His remarkable record led other coaches to adopt his methods.
Kiphuth retired from coaching in 1959. He died of a heart attack after attending a swim meet at which Yale beat the U. S. Military Academy.