CGB Hall of Fame: (4) Teri McKeever vs. (13) Tom Shields

(4) Teri McKeever

TheBuckeyeBear gives us the run down on Coach McKeever:

Many athletes have tried to transition from competitor to coach, but not all have been as successful as Coach Teri McKeever in parlaying personal victories into mentorship triumphs. She has received many accolades at the helm of Cal Women’s Swimming & Diving and as the first female head coach of the US Olympic women’s swim team; the only reason the Golden Bears’ NCAA record in 2013 and 2014 could be described as "a mere [second and] third place" was because the team took home the national title in 2011 and 2012. These achievements are rooted in her personal experience and coaching philosophy.

McKeever has cited sports as "the first place [she] felt good about [herself]" and strives to instill the same love of swimming in those she coaches. Cal alumnus Anthony Ervin returned to competitive swimming in the 2012 London Olympics because McKeever took his "very fragile mentally kind of persona" and "brought back what it was like to swim for fun." She has been able to harness the mind-body connection in yoga, dance, jump-roping, and other cross-training for her athletes so that swimming is not just the drudgery of thousand-fold laps. Without her diverse training program, alumna Dana Vollmer observed that "you’re going to get good, but you might not get great."

Although McKeever delights in her swimmers’ medals, she is most proud of helping college students develop skills that will "translate into the next 30, 40, 50 years." Her genuine concern for her athletes, alongside her coaching wisdom, attracts world-class swimmers like Olympic gold medal winners Natalie Coughlin and Missy Franklin to Cal. The Pac-12 Conference and the NCAA have both anointed McKeever as Coach of the Year, recognizing her team-building success to be rooted in a commitment to her swimmers’ well-being and excellence.

(13) Tom Shields

Ruey tells us about Mr. Shields:

With 11 individual and relay national titles that were instrumental to Cal Men’s Swimming winning the back-to-back team national titles in 2011 and 2012, Tom Shields is one of the most decorated swimmer to come through the storied Cal Aquatic programs.

Here is the impressive list of his national titles earned in his Cal career. For the medley relays, Shield swam the butterfly leg of those races.

2010

• Tom Shields, men's swimming - 100-yard backstroke, 44.91
• Men's swimming - 400-yard freestyle relay (2:48.78 - Graeme Moore, Josh Daniels, Tom Shields, Nathan Adrian)
• Men's swimming - 400-yard medley relay (3:02.83 - Guy Barnea, Damir Dugonjic, Tom Shields, Nathan Adrian)

2011

• Tom Shields, men's swimming - 100-yard backstroke, 45.02
• Men's Swimming - 400-yard freestyle relay (2:47.39 - Graeme Moore, Josh Daniels, Tom Shields, Nathan Adrian)
• Men's Swimming - 400-yard medley relay (3:02.28 - Guy Barnea, Damir Dugonjic, Tom Shields, Nathan Adrian)

2012

• Tom Shields, men's swimming - 100-yard backstroke, 44.86
• Tom Shields, men's swimming - 100-yard butterfly, 44.76
• Men's Swimming - 400-yard medley relay (3:03.24)

2013:

• Tom Shields, men's swimming - 100-yard butterfly, 44.59
• Tom Shields, men's swimming - 200-yard butterfly, 1:39.65

A multi-event threat in Free, Back, and Fly, Cal could also count on Tom Shields to accumulate plenty of team points comes the NCAA. It is important to note that in addition to the wins listed above, Shield came a close 2nd or 3rd (sometimes to his teammates) on numerous races at the NCAA’s.

Tom was named the 2012 Swimmer of the Meet at the NCAA Championships, being the MVP that led the Golden Bears to a repeat team title.

Even though the Bears were not able to three-peat in Shields’ senior year, he got the American record in 200 Fly (tying some guy by the name of Michael Phelps...I think he’s a famous for all those Subway commercials) and add yet another NCAA title in 100 Fly to his collection.

Now that his swimming eligibilities are gone, Shields is still training at Cal and winning a variety of races and breaking records. He is still looking to earn the precious title of being a "Calympians", hopefully for the Rio 2016 games.

Tom Shields is expected to graduate this year with a degree in Religious Studies.