Bruce Furniss

Bruce MacFarlane Furniss (born May 27, 1957) is a former American amateur competition swimmer, Olympic double gold medalist, and ten-time world record-holder in four events.

While at USC, Furniss was coached by the legendary Peter Daland, who guided the school's men's swimming team to nine National Titles in his 35 years as the school's coach (1957 to 1992).

As a 7-year-old in 1964, Furniss was inspired by the four gold medal performance of American swimmer Don Schollander, who broke the 200-meter freestyle world record eleven times during his career.

Twelve years later, Furniss became the twelfth of fourteen Americans in history to break the 200-meter freestyle world record.

During his career he broke the 200-meter freestyle world record four different times.

Furniss-led teams won the CIF-SS Championship Title in 1972, 1973 and 1974.

Furniss won Olympic gold in the 200-meter freestyle, (one of three Americans to ever win this Olympic event; Mark Spitz in 1972 and Michael Phelps in 2008 being the other two), and the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, setting world records in each event.

Older brother Steve Furniss, a two-time swimming Olympian (1972 Bronze Medalist in the Men's 200-meter Individual Medley and 1976 U. S. Men’s Olympic Swim Team Captain), and Bruce are among a rare group of siblings, in any sport, to make the same Olympic team.

Oldest brother, Chip, a USC Collegiate Swimming All-American, finished fifth in the 1972 Olympic Swimming Trials in the 200-meter Butterfly (behind Mark Spitz and Gary Hall Sr).

As a Junior at the 1974 CIF-SS Championships, Furniss broke Mark Spitz's National Interscholastic High School Record in the 200-yard Individual Medley and then topped the record again at the same championship in 1975.

Furniss is a 1975 graduate of Tustin, California's Foothill High School where he was coached by Tom Delong, California Interscholastic Federation's all-time winningest high school swim coach.

Furniss also garnered two gold and two silver medals in the 1975 World Aquatics Championships in Cali, Colombia and 1978 World Aquatics Championships in West Berlin.

At the 1975 World Swimming Championships team trials in the Belmont Plaza pool in Long Beach, CA, Furniss accomplished the rare feat of breaking the 200-meter freestyle world record twice on the same day (June 18, 1975).

Later that same summer, Furniss would break the world record in the event for the third time at the 1975 AAU Senior National Outdoor Championships in Kansas City, KS.

Furniss also broke the world record in the Men's 200-meter individual medley at the 1975 AAU Senior National Outdoor Championships in Kansas City, KS.

He laid claim to the 200-meter freestyle world record from 1975 to 1979 and the 200-meter individual medley world record from 1975 to 1977.

In total Furniss either broke or was on relay teams that broke ten world records in four different events over a three year period.

Furniss is the third of four successful aquatic brothers, often referred to as "Orange County California's First Family of Swimming."

At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, he won the Men's 200-meter Freestyle and was a member of the winning U.S. team in the Men's 4×200-meter Freestyle Relay, both in world record time.

Furniss broke ten world and nineteen American records, and won eleven Amateur Athletic Union and six NCAA titles.

Furniss was a proficient and successful individual medley swimmer, however it was his freestyle technique for which he is most often recognized and remembered.

Many coaches and swimming experts lauded his "perfect freestyle stroke" and six-beat flutter kick as his best weapon against his much taller and bigger opponents.

Two of those years, Furniss teamed with Rod Strachan, whom Furniss would later swim with at USC and with whom he was a teammate on the 1976 U.S. Olympic Men's Swim Team.

At the 1976 Olympic Games, Strachan would best Bruce's older brother, Steve, winning the Olympic gold medal in the 400-meter Individual Medley in a world record time.

Furniss was an integral part of USC's NCAA National Collegiate Championship winning teams of 1976 and 1977.

During his time at USC, Furniss was one of five Trojans who would make the 1976 twenty-six member Men's USA Olympic Swimming Team (each Olympic Swimming Medalists).

Both Steve and Bruce shared in the school's 1976 National Team Title, which at the time, was by the largest margin of victory ever.

Furniss was a member of the 1976 U.S. Olympic men's swimming team, which was coached by three American swimming giants, Indiana University's Doc Counsilman, Santa Clara Swim Club's George Haines, and the University of Alabama's Don Gambril, all International Swimming Hall of Fame Coaches.

The 1976 U.S. Olympic Men's Swim Team dominated, winning 12 of 13 (92%) possible gold medals and 27 of 35 (77%) possible total medals.

On July 19, 1976, the second day of the 1976 Olympic swimming program, Furniss won the 200-meter freestyle with a winning time of 1:50.29, leading an American sweep finishing ahead of fellow Americans John Naber (silver) and Jim Montgomery (bronze).

Two days later, on July 21, 1976, he teamed up with Naber, Montgomery and Mike Bruner on the 4×200-meter freestyle relay with a winning time of 7:23.22.

On that relay, Furniss, who swam the second leg, became the first person ever to break the 1:50 second barrier, splitting 1:49.56 (53.77/55.79).

His fourth crack of the event’s world mark occurred in the 1976 Men's 200-meter Freestyle Olympic Final.

Joining Furniss was older brother Steve, 1977 James E. Sullivan Award Winner, John Naber, Joe Bottom, and Rod Strachan.

All four Furniss brothers attended, competed and graduated from USC.

Each would swim and/or play water polo for the Trojans.

Youngest brother, Craig, also attended USC, where he was a two-time Collegiate All-American Water Polo Player and was USC's Valedictorian of his 1981 graduating class.

Bruce and Steve remain in an exclusive group of four sets of brothers to win Olympic swimming medals, joining Hawaiian brothers, Duke Kahanamoku and Samuel Kahanamoku and Warren Kealoha and Pua Kealoha, and Spain's David Lopez-Zubero and Martin Lopez-Zubero.

The Furniss family's impact on competitive aquatics goes beyond competing in swimming and water polo.

Upon his retirement from collegiate and international swimming, Steve became a leading innovator in competitive aquatic apparel founding TYR Sport in 1985.