Clarke Scholes

Clarke Scholes (1930 to 2010) was an American freestyle sprinter from Detroit who became an Olympic champion at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He won the 100-meter freestyle in a time of 57.4 seconds that matched Japan's Hiroshi Suzuki, and the officials used a judge's decision to award him the gold medal. He later won gold medals in the 100-meter freestyle and the 4x100-meter medley relay at the 1955 Pan American Games. A Redford High School senior champion in Detroit in 1948, he swam for Michigan State University under coach Charles McCaffree, where he became a five-time All-American and a three-time NCAA champion in the 100-yard freestyle. He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1980, the Michigan State University Sports Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.