Rick Colella

Rick Colella
Colella in 1972
Personal information
Full nameRichard Phillip Colella, Jr.
Nickname"Rick"
National teamUnited States
Born (1951-12-14) December 14, 1951 (age 72)
Seattle, Washington
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight181 lb (82 kg)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesBreaststroke
ClubTotem Lake Swim Club
College teamUniversity of Washington
Medal record
Representing the United States
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1976 Montreal 200 m breaststroke
World Championships (LC)
Gold medal – first place 1975 Cali 4×100 m medley
Silver medal – second place 1975 Cali 200 m breaststroke
Bronze medal – third place 1973 Belgrade 400 m medley
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1971 Cali 200 m breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 1975 Mexico City 100 m breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 1975 Mexico City 200 m breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 1975 Mexico City 4×100 m medley
Silver medal – second place 1975 Mexico City 400 m medley
Bronze medal – third place 1971 Cali 400 m medley
Universiade
Gold medal – first place 1970 Turin 200 m breaststroke
Silver medal – second place 1970 Turin 400 m medley

Richard Phillip Colella, Jr. (born December 14, 1951)[1] is an American former breaststroke swimmer who represented the United States at two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1972.

Colella's sister Lynn was also an Olympic swimmer. In 1971 Richard and Lynn won the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Man of the Year award.[2]

Colella finished fourth in the final of the men's 200-meter breaststroke at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, he finished third and received the bronze medal in the 200-meter breaststroke, his signature event.

Colella and his wife Terry have raised four children, Elise, Mariel, Brian and Angie. For the past seven years, the Colellas have dedicated themselves to raising money for research to find a cure for facioscapulohumeral disease (FSHD), a common form of muscular dystrophy that affects their son Brian. They formed FSH Friends, an organization that they run out of their home. They work to raise money and put on an annual auction gala that takes place in the end of January. They've also co-sponsored local workshops, bringing researchers together from around the world, to help move the research forward.[3]

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rick Colella.
  1. ^ Rick Colella. sports-reference.com.
  2. ^ Dan Raley (July 15, 2008) Where Are They Now? Colella left hanging on swimming replay. Seattle P-I
  3. ^ Friends of FSH Research. fshfriends.org