Portrait of Mike Troy

Birthday profile

Mike Troy

Mike Troy, American swimmer (died 2019)

Born
October 3, 1940
Died
August 2, 2019
Zodiac sign
Libra
Birth year
1940

About Mike Troy

Michael Francis Troy (October 3, 1940 – August 3, 2019) was an American competitive swimmer, a two-time Olympic champion, and world record-holder in three events. The peak of Troy's swimming career occurred between 1959 and 1960 while he was coached by Doc Counsilman of the Indiana Hoosiers swimming and diving team at Indiana University. At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, he won his first gold medal as a member of the winning U.S. team in the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay. Individually, he won a second gold with his first-place finish in the men's 200-meter butterfly—his signature event. Troy broke the world record in the 200-meter butterfly six consecutive times before it was taken over by fellow American swimmer Carl Robie in 1961. In 1971 he was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. After college, Troy entered active duty with the United States Navy on February 15, 1964, and completed Officer Candidate School. Troy was commissioned as an Ensign and volunteered for Underwater Demolition Training, now known as Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training. After months of grueling training, Troy graduated with BUD/S class 33 in December 1964. Troy received assignment to Underwater Demolition Team ELEVEN (UDT-11) and later deployed with his team to South Vietnam in 1966. He was recommended for the numerous awards for his combat service during the Vietnam War. Troy resigned from active duty on February 28, 1969. After leaving military service Troy settled in the San Diego area where he worked as a real estate agent and swimming coach. His trainees included Mike Stamm. At the time of his death in 2019 Troy was co-owner of the Gold Medal Swim School in Chandler, Arizona, with two time Olympic coach Mike Walker. Troy served as Chairman of the International Section of the Olympic Committee and Vice President of the American Swimming Coaches Association. Troy was the National Director of the USA Paralympic Swimming Team. He accompanied the team to Athens, Greece in September 2004 where the U.S. Paralympic team won numerous medals. Troy died on August 3, 2019, in Arizona at the age of 78.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Mike Troy timeline

  1. Michael Francis Troy (October 3, 1940 – August 3, 2019) was an American competitive swimmer, a two-time Olympic champion, and world record-holder in three events.
  2. At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, he won his first gold medal as a member of the winning U.S. team in the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay.
  3. Troy broke the world record in the 200-meter butterfly six consecutive times before it was taken over by fellow American swimmer Carl Robie in 1961.

The world when Mike Troy was born

Mike Troy was born in 1940. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1940

  • #1 song"In the Mood" – Glenn Miller
  • Top movieRebecca
  • Best-selling bookFor Whom the Bell Tolls – Ernest Hemingway

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentFirst televised college basketball game
  • Top headlineWinston Churchill becomes British Prime Minister
  • Technology milestoneFirst McDonald's restaurant opens
  • Defining fadSwing music hits its peak
  • Notable inventionJeep (military vehicle)
  • World population2.30 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderFranklin D. Roosevelt
  • Sports championCincinnati Reds (World Series)
  • U.S. population132.2M

1940 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Mike Troy's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19402026
Gas$0.18$3.45/gal
Average home$5,300$435,000
Average income$3,100$67,500
Minimum wage$0.30$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.25$11.95
Postage stamp$0.03$0.73
Population132.2M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, International Olympic Committee, Olympedia, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.