Dick Howell

Early life and swimming

Howell was born in Chicago to Frances and Mary Elm Howell. He attended Hyde Park High School, where he set several national high school records, though his times improved notably only in his junior and senior years. In December 1922, at the Cook County Interscholastic Championship, he swam a 55.8 in the 100-yard freestyle. At a city-wide championship that same month, he set interscholastic records in the 100-yard (57.4) and 220-yard (2:26) events.

He trained at the Sinai Social Center under Coach George Eckert from around 1918 to 1920. By 1920, he held AAF records in the 100, 200, 400, and 880-yard swim events and served as President of the Senior division of the Sinai Center's swimming association. In March 1923, while representing the Illinois Athletic Club, he swam the 440-yard freestyle in 5:03.8, breaking Johnny Weissmuller's world record for a 60-yard pool by 1.4 seconds. He was coached at the IAC by Hall of Fame Coach Bill Bachrach. In August 1922, he won a 2.5-mile swim marathon in the Chicago River, defeating Olympic swimmer Norman Ross.

Northwestern University

Howell enrolled at Northwestern University and swam for the Wildcats from 1922 to 1926. He won three NCAA national titles: the 400- and 1500-meter freestyle in 1924 and the 220-yard freestyle in 1925, and set several conference records. He also captured four Big Ten titles and set ten Big Ten freestyle records. He was a member of three intercollegiate championship water polo teams and also wrestled. Northwestern won the NCAA Championships and Big Ten conference in 1924 and 1925. He married fellow student Elizabeth Ann Fletcher on February 9, 1926, but was suspended from Northwestern for marrying a coed without parental sanction and did not return in 1926. At the AAU Sr. Indoor Championships on February 16, 1927, he broke the world plunging record for 60-foot pools by covering 57 yards in 14.4 seconds. He died in Arlington Heights, Illinois on July 20, 1967.