ecial for Grandparents' Day' - Local History Archives

September 10, 1992
Grosse Pointe News
Scholes
By Chuck Klonke
Sports Editor
Watchmg the SWimming
competItIOn In thiS year's
Olympic games brought back
"orne pleasant memones for
Clarke Scholes
"I followed the sWimming as
closely as I could," said the
Grosse POinte Park resident,
who will be among the 30
charter members Inducted mto
the MIchIgan State Umverslty
Athletics Hall of Fame this
weekend
"I was very happy for all of
the SWimmers who won gold
Touchdown grab
•
In
Grosse Pointe South's Ryan McCartney hauls in this touchdown pCUI from Scott Lupo
despite the efforts of one of Clintondale's defensi'te backs. The Blue Devil•• nt on to. Win
their opener 38-14. See story on 2C.
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Spartans' first Hall of Fame
medals because I know what it
feels like I was especIally
happy for Pablo Morales, be.
cause he had spent so many
years workmg for hIS medal
"I enjoyed seemg all of them
experience a moment they'll
never forget and It helped me
relive a big moment In my
life"
Scholes stood on the Olympic
podIUm m HelSinki, Finland, In
1952 after wmnmf, the gold
medal m the 100-meter freestyle
"Nothmg tops standmg on
that podIUm at the Olympics
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and hearing them play the natIOnal
anthem and watching
them raIse your country's flag,"
Scholes saId. "You know
they're playmg It for the country,
but you can't help but feel
they're playmg It for you. It
chokes you up real good."
Scholes, who is probably the
finest SWImmer to ever compete
for Michigan State, was a
three-time NCAA and National
AAU champIOn m the 100
freestyle when he made the
1952 Olympic team.
He dIdn't waste any time
makmg hIS presence felt m Fin.
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Photo by Dan Khk
land. He set an Olympic record
In the semifinals when he was
clocked in 57.1.
"There was no TV at the
tIme, but there were reporters
all over the place when I set
the record," Scholes recalled.
"They wanted to talk to me,
but I was superstItious I told
them, 'Don't interview me now,
but if I win, I'll give you 30
minutes for whatever you
want.' They agreed, I won the
finals and I gave them 30 mmutes.
It was a pleasure then II
Scholes IS stlll amused by the
request of one photographer.
"He asked me to bIte the
medal," Scholes said WIth a
laugh. "I guess to show that It
was really gold."
Scholes got a big surpnse m
the finals.
"I thought my toughest competition
gomg in would be my
teammate, Dick Cleveland, but
he didn't make the finals,"
Scholes said. ''Then I thought it
would be the European champIOn
from Sweden (Goran Larsson),
but it turned out to be a
Japanese swimmer (Hiroshi
Suzuki), He was on my blind
side and he came out of nowhere
"Near the end of the race I
looked over and saw him right
there, My heart went into my
throat I held on, but his arm
was coming over just as I
touched."
Scholes wasn't even sure he
had won when the U.S. coaches
and swimmers came over to
congratulate him.
"I figured they were prejudiced
and hoped 1 had won, but
when the Japanese coaches congratulated
me, 1 finally thought
I did it," he said.
Scholes' winning time (57.4)
wasn't quite as fast as the sem.
ifinals, but it was good enough
to make hlm part of Olympic
history
Scholes probably would have
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