Ambrose "Rowdy" Gaines IV ... best known around the world as Rowdy Gaines ... was the fastest man in swimming throughout the early 1980s. At the peak of his career and heavily favored to win four gold medals at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, the U.S. boycott denied him that chance. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, he was not expected to medal but instead capped his phenomenal career with three gold medals and two world records. Displaying his intense perseverance and incredible competitive drive, Rowdy's swimming accomplishments are truly remarkable:

  8 - Time NCAA Champion
22 - Time NCAA All American
17 - Time National Champion
  8 - Time Pan Am Games Champion
11 - Time World Record Holder
  5 - Time World Champion
  3 - Time Olympic Gold Medalist

Rowdy was named World Swimmer of the Year in 1980 & 1984 and SEC Athlete of the Year in 1981, ranked ahead of even Herschel Walker, that year's Heisman Trophy winner. He has been inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame, the International Swimming Hall of Fame, and the Halls of Fame in both Florida and Alabama. In addition, Rowdy was a U.S. Swimming Sullivan Award Nominee in 1984 and was presented with the McDonald's Spirit Award in 1982. He is a true Olympic hero and American icon.

Chuck Wielgus, Executive Director of USA Swimming, calls Rowdy "our sport's ambassador to the world" with athletic achievements that are "awe inspiring and heroic." More importantly, he notes that "Rowdy Gaines is a world class human being. We could not ask for a better role model for our youth, a better All-American hero for our sport, and a better friend and colleague."

In his successful broadcasting career, Rowdy has become the voice of American swimming, as the acknowledged expert commentator for the Olympics on NBC Sports and also for other major swimming competitions televised by ESPN, ESPN2 and Turner Sports.

He will continue to broadcast for major swimming events, including the 2008 Olympics, and support the USA Swimming Foundation.

Dedicated to his wife Judy and four daughters, Emily, Madison, Savanna, and Isabelle, Rowdy says, "I'm tremendously excited to join the TLC family because it is all about making a difference. This is an incredible opportunity for me to be directly involved with people that have a passion, people that believe in the goodness of other people. I am thrilled to be a part of the company’s growing success!"

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