David Flood, the Aquatics commissioner for the 1984 LA Olympics, died peacefully on July 4th at the age of 90.
Flood played water polo for the Olympic Club of San Francisco and won two national championships in 1957 and 1959. He finished his playing career with a 97% winning percentage and an overall record of 1,954-59. He was inducted into the Water Polo Hall of Fame in 1986.
He had a strong appreciation for aquatics, which stemmed from his time spent playing water polo. During this period, he graduated from the University of California-Berkeley with a degree in architecture, eventually leading him to serve as the Aquatics Commissioner at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
The pool at the Games was heavily criticized due to being an outdoor facility. Several nations raised doubts about whether this venue met Olympic standards for a swimming pool. This claim was debunked in 1983 during a trial meet at the newly unveiled McDonald’s Olympic Swim Stadium, where Soviet distance swimmer Vladimir Salnikov broke his own world record in the 800m freestyle on opening night.
In the 1984 Olympic Games held a year later, the United States dominated the medal standings, securing a total of 34 medals, 21 of which were gold. Notably, 12 world records were also broken at these Games.
Flood introduced the idea of the first-ever temporary pool. For the first time, a temporary warmup/warm-down pool was installed in place of a permanent pool. Temporary pools are now used everywhere.
At the 1984 Games, swimming, water polo, and synchronized swimming were held at the McDonald’s Olympic Swim Stadium.
In 2013, the McDonald’s Olympic Swim Stadium underwent renovations and was renamed as the Uytengsu Aquatics Center, which is now the home to the University of Southern California Trojans.
Flood’s career was marked by his innovative work and unwavering dedication.
