Skip to content

Rick Carey

Medals: Gold x 3

1980 Olympic Team

Games of the XXII Olympiad, Moscow Russia

1984 Olympic Team

Los Angeles, United States of America

  • Men’s 100 metres Backstroke – Gold Medal
  • Men’s 200 metres Backstroke – Gold Medal
  • Men’s 4 × 100 metres Medley Relay– Gold Medal

Rick Carey started swimming at the age of ten at the Mt. Kisco Boy’s Club. After finishing second in two races as a twelve year old at the Westchester County Championships at Rye Playland, he decided to try to take his swimming to the next level and joined the Badger Swim Club.

He quickly became a top ranked backstroker in the country for his age from the age of 12 to 18. Rick spent one year under the then age group coach at Badger, Bill Stremmell and then moved to the senior team under John Collins and never looked back. Under John’s coaching and guidance, Rick strove to live up to the goal John had told Rick when they first met: “We will not be a big fish in a small pond”. Badger was the perfect environment for Rick as his swimming developed.
Rick Carey

Sometimes traveling 20 to 30 times a year to get to the best competition, Badger established itself early on as a team with national and international ambitions. Over his career as a Badger under John, Rick had an impressive list of accomplishments listed below.

  • Three Time Olympic Gold Medallist in Swimming, 1984
  • Member of the boycotted 1980 Olympic Team
  • World Swimmer of the Year 1983
  • Sullivan Award Finalist 1983
  • Three Time Pan American Champion 1983
  • Two Time World Champion 1982
  • Fifteen Time US National Champion
  • Twelve Time US Open Champion
  • Seven Time NCAA Division I Collegiate Champion
  • Nine World Records
  • Three Olympic Records
  • Twenty seven American Records
  • Inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1993