Homegrown Olympic Medalist Receives Recognition

Warminster-bred Olympic swimmer Dave Wharton, a silver medalist at the 1988 Summer Olympics, will be inducted into the Bucks County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame Monday, April 11, as part of the chapter’s Class of 2011. A ceremony, which is open to the public, will be held at King’s Caterers in Levittown at 6 p.m.

Accolades aren’t exactly new to Wharton, 41. In addition to his silver medal in the 400m Individual Medley, Wharton competed in the 1992 Olympics and held two world records at various times in his career (in the 200m and 400m IM). He was also named Pac-10 Male Swimmer of the Year four years in a row while swimming at University of Southern California from 1988-1991, as well as American Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World in 1987.

However, Wharton, who currently resides with his wife and two children in New Albany, Ohio, where he serves as the New Albany Parks and Recreation Director, says these previous accomplishments, as well as other distinctions he’s received since then, don’t take away from this special occasion.

“It’s an honor to be recognized where you grew up, where your roots are,” says Wharton, a graduate of Germantown Academy. “I’m excited to come back and share this with my family. My brother and his family will be there; my coach [Dick Shoulberg] is able to attend, which means a lot, because without him, I wouldn’t have accomplished anything. And I don’t think my kids have ever been to any of my previous award banquets, so it means a lot for them to see.”

After leaving competitive swimming, Wharton moved to Columbus, Ohio, when he became an assistant swim coach at the Ohio State University. He served in a number of roles between that post and taking the Parks and Rec job in 2001, but has been a consistent presence at New Albany High School as the coach of the Varsity Swim and Dive team for the past 14 years.

Last year, Wharton came out of retirement and traveled to Atlanta to compete at Masters Nationals in the Men 40-44 age group in the 200m IM and 400m IM. He placed third and sixth, respectively.

“I’d been coaching for all these years, and had gotten away from doing it,” Wharton says. “I realized I wanted to put myself back in that environment, and feel what it was like to compete again. I went and had a wonderful time, and was happy with the way I did, considering the amount of training I had done up to that point. It was great to see people I hadn’t seen in over 15 years.”

Wharton hopes to swim competitively again in the future, but first he has to recuperate from a recent back surgery. In the meantime, he’ll keep up with his work, and leave the swimming to his kids, Allyson, 12, and Austin, 10.

“My daughter has reached some state level success in the 12 and under age group,” he says. “My son’s into it as well, and has made some incredible improvements this year. He’s excited to follow in his sister’s footsteps.”

In addition to Wharton, 14 other local sports heroes will be inducted Monday as part of the Bucks County Chapter’s third induction class.

“It’s honoring our sports heroes and people who have brought so much pleasure and glory to Bucks County,” says John Chaump, president of the Bucks County Chapter. “All of our living inductees will speak for a few minutes, and this is just a way for us as a community to say thank you. It’s a great night.”

To reserve tickets, which cost $45 and include dinner, contact Joe Blair, Executive Vice President of the Bucks County Chapter, at 215-932-8484.

For a full list of nominees, as well as more information on the Bucks County Chapter: www.buckscountysportshof.com.