Jon Urbanchek (bornJános Urbancsok; August 23, 1936 – May 9, 2024) was a Hungarian-born American swimming coach, best known for his 22-year tenure as the head coach of theMichigan Wolverines swimming and diving team of theUniversity of Michigan from 1982 to 2004.[1] He has served as a coach on multiple United States national swim teams, including the U.S. Olympic swim teams in 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004, and as a special assistant in 2008 and 2012.
Urbanchek was from Hungary, and left after the 1956 invasion of Hungary by the Soviet Union.[2]
BornJános Urbancsok inSzarvas, Hungary, he emigrated to the United States in 1957.[3] Urbanchek attended theUniversity of Michigan, where he was a member of theMichigan Wolverines swimming and diving team from 1959 to 1961.[3] He was NCAA champion in the 1650-yard Freestyle in 1961. He receivedAll-American honors in swimming in 1959 and 1961, and was a member of the Wolverines teams that won the 1959 and 1961NCAA Men's Division I Swimming and Diving Championships.[3]
After graduating from college, Urbanchek's first job was as a health teacher and aquatics coach atGarden Grove High School in California, in 1963−64.[3] In the fall of 1964, he started teaching atAnaheim High School, where he coached highly successful teams in both water polo and swimming. Highlights at AHS included a third-place finish in CIF water polo in 1969 and a CIF team finals appearance in boys swimming in 1970. Also in 1964, Urbanchek co-founded the Fullerton Aquatics Sports Team (FAST Swimming) in Fullerton, California. In 1973, he earned a master's degree in education fromChapman University.[3]
Urbanchek left Anaheim High School in 1978 to become the head coach atLong Beach State, where he coached the 49ers swim program for five years.[3] In 1981, he was namedPacific Coast Athletic Association Coach of the Year. He also coached on the international level for the first time, guiding the United States to a second-place finish behind his nativeHungary at the1979 FINA Men's Water Polo World Cup.
Urbanchek was responsible for the renaissance of the Michigan Men's swimming program taking over the position in 1982. Within four years he had won the Big Ten Championship and then continued to win another 9 in a row, establishing a decade of dominance for the program (1986-1996), during which time he won the NCAA Championship as well. In total, he won 13 Big Ten Championships. Upon his retirement as Men's team head coach in 2004, he was replaced byBob Bowman.[3]
After retiring as Men's Head Coach at the University, Urbanchek for several years continued to coach with the club team affiliated with the school (Club Wolverine) and to assist the University's men's team as a Head of Aquatics.[1]
Urbanchek returned to Southern California in 2010 to direct the U.S. Olympic Post-Graduate Training Center at Fullerton Aquatics (FAST Swimming). He coached two swimmers to gold medals at the 2012 Olympics (Tyler Clary andMatt McLean) and served as special assistant coach for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Swimming Team.
Urbanchek had groundbreaking contributions to competitive swimming, most notably his development of a color-coded training system, stroke innovations in Breastroke, and many others. Originally studying as an engineer, he switched to physiology and psychology to bring a scientific approach to training and competition. Urbanchek's approaches not only simplified training regimens but also enhanced the efficiency and effectiveness of swimmers' preparations for competitions, cementing his status as a pioneer in sports coaching methodologies.[4]
The color system revolutionized swim coaching by allowing athletes to easily gauge and adjust their training intensity to match specific physiological goals. It categorized training intensities for swimmers, aligning them with specific heart rate zones and levels of exertion. This system helps swimmers understand and adjust their training intensity more effectively. It distinguishes between various training zones, from low-intensity aerobic workouts to high-intensity lactate production sessions, allowing for structured progression throughout a competitive season.[5]
Urbanchek and his wife, the former Melanie Silas, had a daughter.[3]
Urbanchek died fromParkinson's disease at his home inFullerton, California, on May 9, 2024, at the age of 87.[3][6]
Urbanchek was inducted into theInternational Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) in 2008.[2] In 2009, he was inducted into theMichigan Sports Hall of Fame.[7]
In December 2019, the newly rebuilt pool atAnaheim High School was officially opened in his honor as the Jon Urbanchek Aquatics Complex.[8]
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