Rutgers University Athletics

Spence, elected posthumously, could have had the most fascinating career of any Rutgers athlete in school history. Spence came to America from British Guiana as a 25-year-old with no professional training in technique and before all was said and done, he set new standards in swimming all over the world. In his first year of competitive swimming (1925), he broke five world records, set the U.S. record in the 300 IM, and boasted the highest point total in the U.S. at the National Championships. A tremendous natural swimmer, Spence won the U.S. National AAU Championship in the 200 yard breaststroke that same year, defeating the 1924 Olympic gold medalist in the process. In both 1928 and 1932, Spence earned a spot on the Canadian Olympic team in the 200 breaststroke and 100 freestyle, and won the swimmer's pentathlon in the U.S. nationals, beating Johnny Weismuller in the process. He entered Rutgers as a 30-year-old freshman in 1930 and set the collegiate record in the 100 yard free and won the NCAA High Point Trophy in 1934 for his performance in the National Championships. Also in 1934, Spence broke the world record in the 300 medley (no butterfly at that time). After his career at Rutgers, Spence continued to set standards in swimming, beating Weissmuller in the 100 freestyle exhibition at the age of 38 in under the 51-second world record time. In 1939, Spence broke the world record in the 100 yard freestyle during a New York Athletic Club exhibition.