Rowdy Rising: From Rejected to Unrivaled

The limited shelf life of Olympic athletes collapsed in 1980 for Rowdy Gaines and about 280 other elite U.S. athletes when President Jimmy Carter announced America would boycott the Games in Moscow.

Instead of distinguishing his country on an international stage, the world’s fastest swimmer found himself instead languishing in the lifeguard chair at his hometown pool.   

Author Dainon Moody details a story of Gaines’ resurrection during an earlier era when sponsorships eluded star swimmers. Rather than cashing checks for wearing sports-company merchandise, the 20-something competitor worked nights as a hotel desk clerk, practiced laps for hours each day and lived in virtual poverty. Moody’s driving voice captures the naysayers who dismissed "the old guy in the pool" and then it brings home the explosive performances that delivered three gold medals before cheering throngs at the Olympics in Los Angeles.

But Rowdy Rising takes readers beyond the dark-horse podium glory of 1984 and goes on to examine Gaines’ lifelong immersion into what may be the world’s oldest sport. Cataloging everything from childhood swims in gator-infested neighborhood lakes to records set at the Masters level, the biography of this U.S. hero touches everyone who has ever waded into the water. Perhaps most surprising is the athlete’s sudden paralysis and recovery from the potentially life-threatening Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

The author also gives readers a perch in the broadcast booth as Gaines’ recounts experiences commentating the last six Olympics for NBC and others. The 220-plus page tome is a contextual must-read for anyone anticipating watching the drama of Rio de Janeiro during the Summer of 2016.

And beyond the spotlight of world-class competition, the story of Rowdy Gaines brings home the critical need for infant and youth swim lessons. It also serves as an inspiration for every kid who flounders in high school. and every aging adult who looks to the water for the challenges it can bring.

In all aspects, it is a story of one man rising above his circumstances.

Dainon Moody earned his bachelor's degree in Journalism from Utah State University. He's a freelance writer who has been known to play Neil Young's Harvest record loudly at three o' clock in the morning. Past works include a poetry collection (The Sound of Scampering) and a motivational script that accidentally ended up going viral. Dainon currently resides in Orlando along with a half feral/half domesticated cat.

A 26-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, Bob Costas is one of the most respected and honored broadcasters of his generation. He will serve as primetime host during the 2016 Rio Olympics, which will be his 12th Olympic assignment for NBC Sports, and his 11th as primetime host, the most of any broadcaster in U.S. television history. He joined NBC in 1980 and has the longest tenure among the network's sports announcers. He has worked with Rowdy Gaines at more than a half dozen Olympics.

Rowdy Gaines life is one of inspiration and courage. Gaines, born in Winter Haven, Florida, didn't start swimming until the age of 17. He tried other sports as youngster but was either too short, too slow, or not coordinated enough. As he recalls, "I wanted to play football but was so intimidated by the size of the other players." A shy boy growing up, Rowdy Gaines found the solitude of swimming laps to be just what the doctor ordered. But his shyness quickly dissipated with his new found swimming success. After two years of rapid improvement as a high school swimmer, he was offered a scholarship to swim for Auburn University and under legendary coach Richard Quick. If not for the 1980 Olympic boycott, Rowdy Gaines might very well be one of America's most famous Olympians. He was favored to win 4 Olympic Gold Medals in 1980. He had broken 11 World Records. But as he says today, while disappointed by the decision to boycott, he supported President Carter and the U.S.A 100%. He graduated from Auburn in 1981 and thought his swimming career was over. Professional swimming didn't exist at that time. He left the water for nearly a year, worked in his dad's gas station, and went through post-collegiate depression thinking he'd missed his dream to swim in the Olympics. If you are not a swimmer, you have to understand the Olympics are swimming's Super Bowl. Four years is a very long time in a sport where the biological clock is ticking. At his father's coaxing to "stop feeling sorry for yourself," Rowdy Gaines came out of retirement and in late 1981 returned to the sport he so loved. At a "dinosauric" age of 25, Rowdy Gaines entered the 1984 Olympic trials as an after-thought. Many believed he was washed up and over the hill. After all, he hadn't swam a best time in nearly three years. But it was part of the strategy for Gaines to peak at the right time. Rowdy Gaines made the U.S. team in three events; the 100 meter freestyle, 400 meter freestyle relay, and 400 medley relay. Even after making the 1984 team, few gave Gaines a chance to medal. His times from the trials were good but not his best. He went into the 1984 Los Angles Olympics an underdog. It was a roll he relished. Waiting behind lane three for the finals of the 100 meter freestyle, Rowdy Gaines wore a walk man and listened to Phil Collins "I don't care anymore." He had dedicated 10 years of his life for the next fifty seconds. He had survived a roller coaster emotional ride. Stepping onto the block, he was replaying his swimming career in his mind. History would judge Rowdy Gaines by the number of Olympic golds he would win. But he didn't care about history at that point. He was at peace with all he had accomplished. He didn't need a gold medal to make his career a success. It was in that fifty second moment that he was set free to swim the perfect race. Rowdy Gaines won individual Olympic gold in the 100 meter freestyle and anchored both U.S.A. relays to Gold medals. He finally lived his dream on the sports greatest stage. He had closure and could officially retire from the sport of swimming. In August of 1991, at the age of 31, Rowdy Gaines was inflicted with Guillan-Bare Syndrome. Guillan-Bare is a neurological disorder that paralyzes the entire nervous system. Gaines was hospitalized for 2 1/2 months and miraculously made a full recovery from the life-threatening syndrome. The first day out of the hospital, his wife Judy took him to a familiar surrounding, the swimming pool. He was ranked top 10 in the world in several freestyle events. He was the oldest swimmer to qualify for the 1996 Olympic Trials, at the age of 35. But when you are a committed family man like Rowdy Gaines, your priorities change. He chose not to compete but enter the broadcast booth as NBC's Olympic Games Swimming commentator. It's a role that has suited him very well. NBC and USA Swimming were both excited to have his knowledge and excitement.