Daland, Biondi, Puhakka Highlight Pac-12 Men’s All-Century Team

The Pac-12 Conference has announced its All-Century swimming & diving team, with special recognition going to former USC coach Peter Daland, Cal swimmer Matt Biondi and ASU diver Joona Puhakka.

The All-Century team is made up of 32 Pac-12 alums, 26 of them swimmers and 6 of them divers. The Pac-12 Conference is celebrating its 100th anniversary stretching back to the conference’s predecessor, the Pacific Coast Conference, which was established in 1915. This All-Century team, then, comprises the years 1915 through 2015.

USC leads the way with 10 selections to the All-Century team, along with Coach of the Century Daland. The numbers breakdown for each program, per the Pac-12 Conference:

1. USC – 10
2. Stanford – 7
3. California – 5
4. UCLA – 4
5. Arizona – 3.5
6. Arizona State – 2
7. Washington – 0.5

(The half-spots for Arizona and Washington are on account of Rick DeMont, who swam two years with Washington before competing his final two NCAA years for Arizona).

The conference also selected Coach, Swimmer and Diver of the Century. Daland, the legendary USC program leader, was awarded coach of the year. California sprinter Biondi earned the swimming honor and Sun Devil diver Puhakka was the honored diver.

Here’s the full All-Century roster:

Pac-12 All-Century Men’s Swimming & Diving roster

Matt Biondi – California, 1984-87 (Freestyle Sprints, Butterfly)

Nathan Adrian – California, 2006-07, 2009-11 (Freestyle Sprints)

Tom Jager – UCLA, 1983-86 (Freestyle Sprints)

Joe Bottom – USC, 1974-77  (Freestyle Sprints)

Bruce Furniss – USC, 1976-79  (Freestyle Sprints)

Brian Goodell – UCLA, 1978-81 (Freestyle Distance)

Mike Burton – UCLA, 1967-70 (Freestyle Distance)

Ryk Neethling – Arizona, 1996-00 (Freestyle Distance)

Rick DeMont – Washington,1973-75 Arizona 1977-79 (Freestyle Distance)

Murray Rose – USC, 1959-62 (Freestyle Distance)

John Naber – USC, 1974-77 (Backstroke)

Jeff Rouse – Stanford, 1988-1992 (Backstroke)

Lenny Krayzelburg – USC, 1997-98 (Backstroke)

Peter Rocca – California, 1976-79 (Backstroke)

Kevin Cordes – Arizona, 2012-15 (Breaststroke)

John Hencken – Stanford, 1972-1976 (Breaststroke)

John Moffet – Stanford, 1982-1986 (Breaststroke)

Bill Barrett – UCLA, 1980-82 (Breaststroke)

Pablo Morales – Stanford, 1983-1987 (Butterfly, Individual Medley)

Tom Shields – California, 2010-13 (Butterfly)

Par Arvidsson – California, 1978-81 (Butterfly)

Mike Bruner – Stanford, 1974-1979 (Butterfly)

David Wharton – USC, 1988-91 (Individual Medley)

Steve Furniss – USC, 1971-75 (Individual Medley)

Erik Vendt – USC, 2000-03 (Individual Medley)

Tom Wilkens – Stanford, 1994-1998 (Individual Medley)

Kristian Ipsen – Stanford, 2011-2015 (1M, 3M, Platform)

Hongping Li – USC, 1986-89 (1M)

Joona Puhakka – Arizona State, 2002-06 (3M)

Micky Benedetti – Arizona State, 2006-08 (3M)

Brian Earley – USC, 1991-94 (Platform)

Ben Grado – Arizona, 2008-12 (Platform)

Coach of the Century

Peter Daland – USC, 1958-1992

Swimmer of the Century

Matt Biondi – California, 1984-87

Diver of the Century

Joona Puhakka – Arizona State, 2002-06

The full press release, courtesy of the Pac-12 Conference:

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (February 9, 2016) – The Pac-12 All-Century Men’s Swimming & Diving team, comprised of 32 members, was announced Monday night on ‘Pac-12 Sports Report.’

The Trojans lead the team with 10 selections, followed by Stanford (7), California (5), UCLA (4), Arizona (3.5), Arizona State (2) and Washington (0.5).

A panel of 20 coaches, swimmers, administrators and members of the media selected the team consisting of 26 swimmers and six divers, plus a Coach, Swimmer & Diver of the Century.

The top four vote-earners in each of the six disciplines made the All-Century Team, with two additional “wildcard” swimmers selected by a second vote of the remaining 5th, 6th and 7th place finishers. The top two divers in each of the three events also made the All-Century Team.  Swimmers and divers could be nominated in more than one event, with three earning roster spots in multiple events.

Legendary longtime USC men’s swimming head coach Peter Daland was voted the Men’s Swimming & Diving ‘Coach of the Century’. Daland led the Trojans to nine NCAA team championships during his 35-year tenure. Under Daland from 1958 through 1992, USC also placed second at the NCAA meet 11 times, won 17 league crowns and posted a 318-31-1 (.917) dual meet record. A six-time National Coach of the Year, his swimmers captured 93 NCAA and 155 Pac-10 individual and relay titles. USC went undefeated in dual meets in 20 of his seasons. His 1977 team is regarded as the finest collegiate swim team ever. Daland spent more than 45 years coaching at the club and college levels. He coached the U.S. men in the 1972 Olympics as they won nine gold medals and the U.S. women in the 1964 Games as they captured six golds. Daland also won 17 national AAU titles (15 men’s at USC and two women’s at the Los Angeles Athletic Club). USC finished first or second in the AAU meet a phenomenal 20 times in Daland’s 35 years.

The Men’s Swimming & Diving ‘Swimmer of the Century’, Matt Biondi, was with the California Golden Bears from 1984-87. The 11-time Olympic medalist won 12 NCAA and 14 Pac-10 titles, in addition to being a four-time All-American. Biondi set 12 world records during his swimming career, including being the first man to swim a sub-49 second time in the 100 free. He also won an Olympic gold medal on U.S. 400 free relay team while a freshman, and returned to capture gold medals in the 1988 Olympics (50, 100, 400 free; 400 medley; and 800 free relays), and a silver in the 100 fly and a bronze in the 200 free. Biondi returned to the U.S. Olympic team in 1992, winning the silver medal in the 50 free and gold in the 400 free and 400 medley relays. Biondi is a member of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

Arizona State Sun Devil Joona Puhakka earned the Men’s Swimming & Diving ‘Diver of the Century’ honors. Puhakka was a four-time Pac-12 Diver of the Year, four-time 1m Pac-12 Champion from 2003-06, four-time 3m Pac-12 Champion (2003-06), 2003 NCAA 1-Meter Springboard Champion and the 2004 NCAA 3-Meter Springboard Champion. Puhakka competed in three consecutive Summer Olympics for his native Finland and won the bronze medal in the men’s 1-meter springboard at the 2003 World Championships in Barcelona, Spain. While competing for Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, he won four NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) championships – two on the 1-meter springboard, and two on the 3-meter springboard.