Northway represented the United States in the 1972 Munich and 1976 Montreal Olympics.
1972 Munich Olympic bronze At the August, 1972 Olympic trials in Chicago, Northway swam a qualifying 15.57.68 for the 1500-meter event, a career best time. He placed second in the 1500 behind Rick Demont, who broke the world record with a time of 15:52.91. Northway swam the second fastest time in the world for 1972 in the event, and came within 5 tenths of a second of the former world record of 15:57.1. Northway placed fourth in the 400 freestyle at the trials with a time of 4:02.84. Northway trained with the U.S. team at Westpoint, Virginia. Northway arrived at the Olympic Village in Munich on August 20, 1972. As a 17-year-old at the
1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, he received a bronze medal for his third-place performance in the
men's 1,500-meter freestyle (16:09.25).
Mike Burton, a former Carmichael, California swimmer for Sherm Chavoor's Arden Hills swim team, won the event with a world record time of 15:52.58, and Australian Graham Windeatt took second.
1976 Montreal Olympics At the
1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, he swam for the gold medal-winning U.S. team in the preliminary heats of the
men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay.
College era swimming University of Washington Northway attended and swam for the
University of Washington Huskies in the Fall of 1973 through 1975 where he was managed by American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCAA) Hall of Fame Coach
Earl Ellis. Rick DeMont, a world champion in the 1500-meter swim, would be on the University of Washington swim team with Northway, and they would become friends. Northway's training was hampered in 1973 by a bout of mononucleosis. Swimming for Washington under Coach Earl Ellis at the 1973 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships at Long Beach, Northway recorded a 12th place for the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:34.1. By 1975, the University of Arizona under Bob Davis had taken 4 consecutive Western Athletic Conference titles. In February 1977, swimming for the University of Arizona, Northway placed second in the 1650 freestyle with a 15:58, first in the 200 free with a time of 1:41.675, and first in the 4x100 freestyle relay with a combined team time of 3:10.585, helping Arizona to take the team title at the Arizona Invitational.
International competition At the 1975 Pan-American Games, Northway won the 400-meter freestyle event, taking the gold medal. At the 1976 National AAU indoor swimming championships at Belmont Pool in Long Beach, Northway won the 400-meter event with a time of 3:56.48. Northway held the lead throughout the race. Northway won the 400-meter freestyle competition at the early April, 1976 U.S. Outdoor Long Course Nationals in Long Beach with a world record time of 3:56.48 and was third in the 200 freestyle. He beat his formal personal best time in the event. He grew from 5'11" at the 1972 Olympics to 6' 2" for the 1976 Olympics, and benefitted from a carefully planned weight training program. In January 1976, Northway won two events and broke two Arizona state state records, with a 47.9 in the 100-yard freestyle and a 1:41 in the 200-yard freestyle at the Deb Secrist Invitational Swimming Meet at the University of Arizona. Northway won the Traversée internationale du lac St-Jean on July 19, 1984, having attempted the long distance swim in three prior years, but being unable to finish due to hypothermia. The marathon swim is 32 kilometers, or 19.8 miles long, and swum in Lake St. Jean between Peribonka and Roberval, Quebec, Canada. Northway led the race from start to finish, finishing in 7 hours, 37 minutes.
Honors Northway was inducted into the University of Arizona Athletic Hall of Fame.
Later life In June, 1996, Northway was living in Tucson with his wife Linda and three young children. He coached swimming at Ventana Canyon, was a licensed minister, an associate pastor at a church, and taught Spanish to elementary students at Grace Christian School. He was studying for a master's degree in Bilingual special education at University of Arizona. Northway plead guilty to molesting a child in 1995. In June, 1997, he was sentenced to four months in jail, four months of home arrest, and a lifetime probation. Northway has since worked in accounting in Tucson and as an advisor for QuickBooks Professional, a software accounting application. He may have also worked for Phoenix College as an instructor.
See also •
List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men) •
List of University of Arizona people •
World record progression 4 × 200 metres freestyle relay References External links • • Pima County Sports Hall of Fame, Northway's Coach Bob Davis • Munatones, Steven, Open Water Swimming.com, Doug Northway, An Unexpected Triumph In The 1984 Traversée • Olympics.com biography, Douglas Northway