About Nelson Diebel
Nelson W. Diebel (born November 9, 1970) is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder. Nelson Diebel III was born on November 9, 1970 in Hinsdale, Illinois, to Nelson W. Diebel Jr., a History professor at nearby Moraine Valley Community College, and Marge Diebel, a stockbroker. Nelson grew up in Western Springs, a suburb of Chicago. Several accounts link Nelson's youthful rebellious behavior to his parents' divorce around 1982 when he was 12. Nelson attended McClure Junior High, already showing a certain rebellious nature. He began high school at Lyons Township High School in Western Springs, where Nelson noted he may have been in a few fights. After a case of pneumonia led him to miss 11 weeks of his Freshman year at Lyons Township, his mother Marge arranged for him to attend the Kent School, a private boarding school in Kent, Connecticut. Six weeks later he was expelled for fighting. Some of his high school years included poor grades, late nights, issues with drinking and marijuana, and a few car accidents. As a Junior at Peddie, Nelson won the first of his four Eastern Championships, beginning with the 100-yard breaststroke. As a Peddie senior, Nelson won three Eastern titles, setting the National High School record in the 100 yard breaststroke. In pre-Olympic international competition, Diebel won silver medals in the 200 breaststroke at the 1989 Pan Pacifics and the 1991 Pan American Games.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.