Logan, IA

Recruited by high school coach Jerry Reker, former SSU wrestler

Visited SSU to meet w bball coach who blew me off so Jerry intro’d me to Don Palm who, after finding out we didn’t have a swim team in my hometown said, “I can make a swimmer out of this big son-of-a-bitch.”

SMSU 1978-82 BS Speech Communications: Radio/TV. Married Marshall girl Bernadette Coudron in 1982

Jobs: KSFY, Sioux Falls news reporter/anchor. Move to Austin, TX in 1985- Roadway Express – manager; IBM and Dell – support engineer, technical trainer, communications, marketing

Favorite team memories – My favorite memories are thinking about my teammates, but if I had to pick particular moments I’d pick Spring Break living in Gary’s trailer with Scott and Brian or the thought of going from Coach Palm literally teaching me how to swim correctly in Swimming 101 to breaking the school record in the freestyle relay.

Weird fact: One reason I wanted to join the swim team was to get over my fear of the water developed from nearly drowning when I was four. It didn’t work. I’m still scared of the water.

Cooper HS / Mike & Terry Elsmore, Pat Doar Recruited to Southwest via Con Ekstrom who noted me to coach Palm / upon review of the team including Gary Horton, Mike Elsemore & the freshman Luke & Dayhuff were the prime factors in deciding to attend.

SMSU 1971-1976 / Degrees in Chemistry & Biology Married 2nd wife Suzy 1988 / Spanish teacher

More Swimming History: Hired on the phone to coach “AAU” in Anchorage AK took Jerry Lusks position at Elmendorf Air Force Base / 1976 to 78: Later coached Barlett ( Anchorage) High School combined Boys& Girls (Girls won state / Boys 2nd) / 1986

Hired by Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game / Ft. Richardson Fish Hatchery 1977 – 2000 / raised salmon & trout / stocked 100’s of lakes & streams / diagnosed & treated fish diseases / discovered a new parasite unique to N. America /retired & moved to Estes Park in 2004.

Returned to coaching with Luke for 3 seasons and later coached the Estes Park swim club for 3 seasons and assisted the High Scholl girls. Though our team was small I enjoyed coaching several age group state champions.

Once done with coaching, continued lifeguarding and an occasional stroke clinic. Enjoyed meeting other former swimmers from around the country and sharing notes of accomplishments and the changes in swimming technique & training. I am still able to swim but only to stay in shape & try not to look at the clock.

Extra curriculars: Canoed parts of the Yukon River / boated out of Seward, AK for 10 summers catching Salmon, Rock fish, Halibut and several miles of beach combing. Hunting: Dall Sheep, Moose, Deer & Caribou: 15 summers of softball men’s & co-ed. I/we continue to return to AK for several weeks in the summer.

Palm note: many years later I reflect and am amazed at the genius of Don and the competitive “spell” he placed on many of us who went on to coach swimming AND how we continue to gather for the reunions. The special camaraderie that is envied by other programs.

Favorite team moment / beating Bemidji at their pool for the first Conf. title Best observed swimming performance was Jon Stewart who swam the 1000 in 9: 50 ish AND THEN got back up & swam the 200 in 1:44 (against Eau Claire)

Hometown: Sheridan, Wy

I am currently living in Scottsdale, AZ

I was recruited by Coach Palm…twice.

The first time was during my senior year of high school in 1974-75. When my high school coach got the head coaching job at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. I declined Coach Palm’s offer and went to swim at Wyoming my freshman year. After getting my butt kicked swimming at the NCAA Division I level, I decided that maybe college and college swimming was not for me, so I left school after my freshman year and returned to Sheridan.

The second time was in the summer of 1977 when Coach and Dean Hawks stopped by on their way to one of Coach’s swim camps in Casper. After my “gap” year from college I realized that I could do more with my life, so I jumped at Coach’s second chance offer.

I had an 8’ by 30’ trailer that I had purchased and “remodeled” while living in Sheridan, so I towed that across Wyoming, South Dakota and MN to Marshall. Coach had made prior arrangements for me to have a spot in the trailer park across the street from Taco John’s…and the all-important Marshall Liquor Store. My first year at Southwest was my sophomore year in college…I suspect that I may have been the only homeowner in my class.

Swimming Memories before Southwest #1: Six-time individual state champion in high school and member of two state championship teams in 1973 and 1974. We trained in a “state of the art” four lane pool at the local YMCA. The starting blocks were not attached to the deck, they were just big fiberglass blocks that required a teammate or a couple of the girl timers to sit on the black of the block during the start of a race so that the blocks would not fall in the water when the “take your marks” command was given. Not sure if Dave Broyle’s Cheyenne team ever came to Sheridan for a dual meet but I am pretty sure that Dean Hawks and his team from Casper did, along with Kevin Tripp from Cody and Ron Elwood from Powell.

Swimming Memories before Southwest #2: Meeting my Wyoming coach 9 months after leaving school when he told me that I had earned a varsity letter and when he gave me a letter jacket from the University of Wyoming. Over the years, I have trained with a lot of swimmers who swam at big name colleges and a few Olympians. I have always been especially proud of the fact that I lettered at a DI school as a freshman.

Swimming Memories at Southwest #1: Breaking a minute in a 100 kick during warm-up at an afternoon practice. No fins and no over water arm pulls going into the turns. Just me and my kickboard.

Swimming Memories at Southwest #2: Being part of “The Gas Pump” adventure.

Swimming Memories at Southwest #3: Weekend at Craig Porter's family's cabin in the spring quarter of 1978. We made the mistake(?) of stopping at a liquor store before stopping at the grocery store. By the time we got to the grocery store, we only had enough money left for a couple loaves of bread and some cold cuts. By the end of the weekend, we had finished the beer, but we still had food left. Not sure why, but a couple of people brought their .22 rifles along. To minimize the chance of a friendly fire injury, Jim Norton, risked his life by taking a couple of empty beer bottles out on the frozen lake so that we could use them for target practice…and hopefully have all the guns aimed in the same direction...away from teammates. The lake was starting to thaw so at the end of the weekend, we decided to forego the deposit and leave the bottles on the lake. On the way back, we stopped at the Bemidji campus and snuck into one of the dorms to use their showers. On the way out, a Bemidji swimmer recognized us and started to yell. We were able to escape to our cars and headed back to Marshall.

Swimming Memories at Southwest #4: Going to the pool every weekday at lunch with Steve Binder in February of 1978 for two weeks before taper started to get in a few extra yards…because 3 hours a day in the pool was just not enough for us distance swimmers. (Jon Stewart recommended this. He was not in school but was still living in Marshall) Each day, we did 6 x 500 on a 6 minute interval and averaged 5:25 per swim…so we had a generous 35 seconds rest between each swim.

Swimming Memories at Southwest #5: Being a co-captain with Dave Wolter for the 1979-80 season which turned out to be the last year that Southwest had a team.

Swimming Memories after Southwest #1: Swimming 100 x 100 long course in a 50-meter pool on Christmas Eve in 1993 with the local age group team…outdoors.

Swimming Memories after Southwest #2: At the first masters meet I swam in at a country club pool in Tucson, the last event of the meet was a beer relay. You had to swim to the other end of the 25-yard pool, jump out and then chug a cup of beer before diving back in for the second 25. I had briefly forgotten everything I learned at Southwest and foolishly spilled most of my (free) beer in an attempt to win the race. I figured that I was already wet, no one was going to be able to tell how much beer I actually consumed. First thought after the meet…”So, this is masters swimming?”

Swimming Memories after Southwest #3: Maintaining my “Potential” All-American status by placing in the top 10 at the masters short course national meets in two different years when they were held here in the Phoenix area. Once in the 1000 Free and once in the 1650.

Swimming Memories after Southwest #4: I was never able to master the skill of diving in from the starting blocks without my goggles coming off, so I have never swum a race with goggles at any time my entire life.

Swimming Memories after Southwest #5: Meeting Denny Dayhuff, for the first time, in the locker room at a pool here in Scottsdale in the 90’s. Denny had joined the team for a morning workout and someone in the locker room asked Denny if he had swum in college. Denny replied, “Yes, I swam at a small school that you probably never heard of, Southwest State University.” I was totally shocked when I heard that. I immediately went over and introduced myself and told Denny that I had seen his picture on the wall in the gym at Southwest as the FIRST All-American at the university. Denny eventually returned to MN, but we have kept in touch and become good friends over the years. I have traveled to MN many times and we often get together for a mini reunion at Denny’s favorite Caribou Coffee shop.

Swimming Memories after Southwest #6: Reconnecting with (B.I.) Mike Halder who was the team’s student manager for the 78-79 team. While at Southwest Mike was a constant member of our social group, hanging out with us in the Student Center and at Earth II. Mike always wanted to jump off the 3-meter board, but he was afraid of heights. So, one day, I went up on the 3-meter board with him and we jumped off together. Mike lives in Bloomington and I always try to stop by for a visit when I am in the cities. We also keep in touch by text and Skype. Mike grew up in Bird Island, MN and over the years during our skype conversations we have been amazed at how many similar experiences we had as kids even though we grew up several hundred miles apart. Mike has been making annual canoe trips to the boundary waters for over 40 years and in 2018 he invited me to join him which I did.

Life after graduating in 1980.

Life Memory #1: Moving to Flagstaff, Arizona to attend graduate school in August of 1980. For the move, I rented the largest Ryder truck they had. Then I put my El Camino and motorcycle inside of the truck, hitched up my trailer and hit the road for the 3-day trip to Flagstaff...by myself. Had a flat on the trailer in the mountains of Colorado and was grateful that I took my dad’s advice to get a spare and a 5-ton hydraulic jack before leaving Marshall.

Life Memory #2: Getting a job offer in Phoenix as a COBOL programmer in December of 1980. Made the decision to leave graduate school, sell my trailer and leave it in Flagstaff since it was made in 1954 and didn’t have air conditioning.

Life Memory #3: Spent the next 35 years writing computer software for various platforms and numerous companies before retiring at the end of 2016. I worked for 19 different companies during my career, (the grass always seemed to be greener on the other side of my computer), including a 12-year stint managing the website for Swimming World Magazine. During my time at Swimming World, I was able to locate every back issue of the magazine that had my name in it. No feature articles, just the fine print meet results in the back of the magazine. Looking back, I think that my real career was writing resumes and going on job interviews.

Life Memory #4: Meeting my wife Karen at a company here in Scottsdale where we both worked at in 1984. We got married in September of 1985. Turned out that Karen grew up in Mahtomedi, MN which is adjacent to White Bear Lake outside of St. Paul. We got married in White Bear and several teammates were in attendance.

Life Memory #5: When our daughter was born in 1999, our only child.

Life Memory #6: Having fun and laughing hard every time I attend a reunion.

Life Memory #7: Having fun building and maintaining the team’s website.

Life Memory #8: Numerous mini reunions over the years with teammates here in the Phoenix area. (Steve Binder, Pete Stalik, Reed Eckstrom, Brian Reynolds, Kevin Tripp, Greg Higdem, Peter Bardon and Jerry Celski)

Life Memory #9: Trying to maintain my “Potential” All-American status by continuing to swim and play water polo. My long-term goal is to live to be 100, swim a couple of masters meets and clean up on the awards because I outlived the competition.

I graduated from White Bear Lake Minnesota Senior High School in 1974, this same high school that coach Don Palm graduated from in 1956 (different building though, Coach’s High School was now White Bear Central Junior High and a ‘new’ White Bear high school had been built nearby in 1967).

I started swimming in 9th grade. It was early winter, about 15’ F, and I was on the Central Junior High 9th grade hockey team (used only outdoor rinks) and was playing defense hurling my body between the hockey puck and the goalie net and I was only an average skater at best. While freezing my butt off, I noticed several classmates getting on a bus carrying towels and smiles. They were JV members on the White Bear High swim team (JV and Varsity practiced together at the downtown St. Paul YWCA (yep, Young Women’s Christian Association) pool). THE NEXT DAY I WAS ON THAT BUS!

Preparing for my senior year, White Bear now had a YMCA (NEY) and that fall I went in to practice with the Y team. One day Mark Johnson (SMSC alum) and future St. Cloud State head swimming coach was subbing for the regular coach. I was an obnoxious know it all and Mark tossed me out of practice (deservedly so). I went back a few weeks later asking to swim (Mark was now the swim coach at NEY) and he asked “Where you been, get in the water!?” Mark recruited me to Southwest all about this great coach Don Palm.

I swam 4 years high school and never went to state, I did well in the St. Paul Suburban Conference, and my senior year at Districts I placed 6th in the 200 free (which really means I was last place in the championship heat).

I attended Southwest Minnesota State University (SSU) on an academic and swimming scholarship. Following SSU graduation (and several years of swim coaching), earned a Masters of Science (MS) from the University of Massachusetts, and via Navy Out Service Training, was awarded a Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Kinesiology from the University of Minnesota. I proudly served 30 years in the United States Navy as an Aerospace Physiologist, in the Medical Service Corps where among my key responsibilities was the oversight of the Naval Aviation Survival Training Program. This involved running the Navy’s Aviation Water Survival Training Program - I was arguably the Navy’s Head Lifeguard. My Southwest swimming experiences served me very well and I am grateful!!

On December 1st 2014 I concluded a 30 year Navy career as a Captain and Commanding Officer of the Navy Medicine Operational Training Center. I have been a ‘retiree’ since.

I grew up a hockey player, played HS hockey my sophomore year. It did not look like I would make varsity so played club Junior year. I was a lifeguard and swim instructor in the summer months, so took springboard diving for phy-ed senior year fall quarter. The HS Swim coach Dennis Dale was teaching the class (went on to coach the Univ of MN). Dennis recruited me to join his swim team as a diver (he only had one from the previous year). I told him I was a hockey player. He said “Porter, I’ve seen you play hockey, you’re a diver.” Began workouts in November with diving coach, (a former U of MN diver). Had a great season never finishing lower than 3rd in dual.

Spring came and I was called to the HS front office, a rarity for me in those days. Coach Palm was standing there and wanted to talk about Southwest State. Being what they call a STEM kid now, I was going to go to college for Engineering. Not wanting to go to the U of MN, I was accepted at Bemidji to take Pre-engineering (and could spend weekends at the famous Porter cabin) then eventually transferring to the U of MN to get the engineering degree. Coach said SSU had engineering (first I had heard of it) and talked me into coming to visit for a day. Toured the school, met some of you guys, got talked into spending the night, went to Earth II. I went to my room in temporary housing, went to bed. Woke up by a huge ruckus outside my room (no one else was supposed to be around). Eventually I went back to sleep. Came out in the morning to the aftermath of a kegger with beer cups and trash all over the main lobby. Had breakfast in food service and then did 100 MPH back to Burnsville to get there in time to take a calculus test. Called Coach Palm, told him I was applying to come to Southwest to take Engineering and dive.

Graduated with a BS Electrical Engineering Technology. I was offered numerous jobs at graduation, like 7 or 8. Selected one in MPLS based on the guy I interviewed with, as a Quality Engineer. They fired him six months later over not allowing questionable product to ship. I started looking and left three months later. That next Quality Engineer job lasted 2 years until I was recruited to an early stage medical device company. That lasted 2 years until the product I was working on got dropped. I went to a start-up pacemaker company where I got fired six months later because the New President (formerly VP of Sales) didn’t like my boss so therefore he didn’t like me. Caught on at a start-up medical pump company. Actually stayed 8 years playing various engineering roles. By now I had been married (to the RA of Eldorado), had two sons, got divorced (result of all the career chaos), had custody and raised the sons alone for 3 years, remarried and had a daughter. Relocated to Winona MN (2 hrs. south of the Twin Cities) for a company I had got to know the founders and President (they paid for the relocation). I was using my engineering but in a business role. Then more chaos. Within a few years that company merged with a competitor. They changed my job. I got a new job for a competitor with HQ in Mexico but I worked remotely in Winona. After two years they sold off the division I worked for. The acquiring company (HQ in Neenah WI) called and asked me to come work for them (remotely). A year later my boss (who had convinced me I should work for him) quit. I saw my former Winona boss on a plane and telling him this he asked me to come back to work for him again. Spent two years back at the company in Winona, got fired for lack of sales performance. Got a job at PlastiCert as Operations Manager. As you might guess, all of that chaos resulted in another divorce (after having another daughter). At this point I was 25 years out of college and had changed companies 11 times (you do the math). Since then, I have been with PlastiCert for 21 years. From Operations Manager to General Manager and then during the 2008 recession, bought the company from the Founder’s daughter who was screwing things up royally. Righted the ship and have been doing well ever since. On the swim side, my two girls became swimmers and I volunteered to become a swim official. First YMCA then USA Swimming. After a few years I added HS and became involved in the diving side as well. Later I also added NCAA certification and started doing college meets. My first meet at the Univ of MN, came face-to-face with Dennis Dale. He didn’t skip a beat and just said, “Mr. Porter, how are you?” I taught diving in summer months for a few years at the local outdoor pool, would help coach the HS divers from time to time. Helped one make the podium at MN HS State as a sophomore. Eventually became a senior level swimming official for all three organizations. I was both Starter and then Meet Referee for HS State meets and was the first “non-coach” allowed to judge diving at HS State Meet (boys and girls). For USA I had one of the highest levels of certifications in MN. I had national level certs in Starter and Deck Ref. I officiated over current and future Olympic swimmers at; Speedo Nationals, numerous regional Futures meets, and Jr. Nationals in MN, WI, ND & IA. Did numerous college conference meets and was selected to work four NCAA Div I Nationals in MN, TX and NC (I turned down DII Nationals during COVID, it was a good call because you might remember they sent everyone home after the first night!!). I semi-retired from officiating, now doing occasional college meets when they cannot find anyone else. The infamous Porter cabin was sold in early 90’s (my brothers’ idea not mine) but I have a new Porter cabin in Northern WI. Better (actually has plumbing) but just as secluded as the original and all swimmers & divers are invited to visit any time.

Sorry all, I know the bio I sent is s little long, but it has been a hell of a journey. I left one story out because of that, but it is relavent.

I did make one other recruiting trip, to Bemifji State! That Spring I accompanied our other diver (who was a Junior and his brother swam for Bemidji) and our Junior breaststroker (Jeff Swanum who ended up at the U of MN) who was either State Champion twice or was his Senior year. The three of us were given a room on the top floor of Tamarak Hall, (the one we later snuck into to shower and then vandalize during Porter Cabin Weekend) plus passes for Food Service for the weekend.

We got there and got set-up in our room with a borrowed stereo from someone. We stayed in the room and drank and partied for two days. Never saw the pool, never saw or met Coach Albright (until we all went up there and won confernce the following year when I was a Mustang).