Millions of children have learned to swim at the Y.
- One was Janet Evans, who won three gold medals in the ’88 Olympics and was amateur athlete of the year for ’89.
- Mark Spitz learned to swim at the Sacramento YMCA in 1958.
- Greg Louganis was another who learned at the Y.
- John Naber, multi-gold winner.
- Another was Ronald Reagan, who learned lifesaving and played the drum in the band at the Dixon (III.) YMCA.
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Millions of children have benefited from youth sports at the YMCA.
- Wilt Chamberlain was one. When he was 16, he was on the national YMCA champion men’s team.
- Frank Robinson was another. When bad weather forced him off the baseball diamond, he was in the Y playing basketball.
- George Bush played basketball at the Y as a young man (and later helped start the Y in Midland, Texas).
- Christian Laettner of Duke, the Dream Team, and the Atlanta Hawks, and Cliff Robinson of the Portland Trailblazers were on the same Y basketball team.
- Curly Neal of Harlem Globetrotter fame learned to play basketball at the YMCA.
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Millions of kids have grown up at the YMCA.
- Ezzard Charles, former heavyweight boxing champion, was one.
- Aaron Spelling, TV producer, said the Y was his one escape from the streets; the chance to be part of something—the family of the Y.
- The Rev. Andrew Young, former UN ambassador and mayor of Atlanta.
- Bob Newhart said it was a "very important part of my childhood."
- Art Linkletter
- Phyllis Diller
- Thurman Thomas, NFL running back
- Connie Hawkins, now in basketball Hall of Fame
- Senator Bob Kerrey’s Y youth program leader said Kerrey was a "YMCA rat" growing up.
- Vic Mitchell, world-class bridge player, was taken to the Brooklyn YMCA by a policeman.
- Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer said that the San Francisco YMCA’s Youth and Government program was an important influence in his life.
- Darrul Singley, NFL player and "self-described 'product of the YMCA system'"
Staying at the Y
- Andy Rooney
- Frederick Exley, award-winning author whose autobiographical novels include the Y
- Claude McKay, poet, leading contributor to Harlem Renaissance
- Malcolm X (when he was Malcolm Little)
- Jack Kerouac
- Dave Thomas (owner of Wendy’s restaurants)
- Bill Blass (Fashion Designer)
- Bob Crane (actor)
- Sidney Sheldon (Author, Screenwriter)
- Vernon Alley (Jazz Musician)
Volunteers
- Walt Whitman (during the Civil War)
- Ernie Banks
- Steve Owens, Heisman Trophy winner
- Lorado Taft (sculptor)
Parents/children
- John/Sean Lennon (The Beatles)
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Millions have benefited from camp, school, working out, and working at the YMCA.
- Clay Aiken (Finalist on “American Idol”)
- Tony Hawk (Skateboarder)
- Tony Granato (Hockey Coach)
- Todd MacCulloch (Basketball Player)
- Harry Connick Jr.
- Oswald Chambers (YMCA Chaplain and “spiritual inspiration” to George W. Bush)
- Carlos Pena (Baseball Player)
- Richard Greenwood (Violinist)
- David Thompson (NBA Basketball Player)
- Cornelius Muller (basketball player/actor)
- Dirk Been ("Survivor" participant)
- Wally Hagin (African-American Photographer)
- Bill Clinton
- Roy Campanella
- Jackie Robinson
- Tommy Lasorda
- Rocky Marciano
- Peter Ueberroth
- Reggie Williams (football player, politician, WLAF exec)
- Jack Kemp
- Tom Foley (ex-Speaker of the House)
- Norman Thomas (Christian socialist)
- Vachel Lindsay (popular poet)
- The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Richard Wilbur, former poet laureate of U.S.
- Michael Landon
- Derek Bok, former president of Harvard
- Thad Cochran (Senator)
- Neil Goldschmidt, former governor of Oregon
- Senator Inouye of Hawaii
- Bart Conner, Olympic gold medal winner in gymnastics
- Emery Moorehead, former Chicago Bears football player
- Amanda Jones, former Miss USA
- Rep. John Porter
- Charles Percy, former senator from Illinois
- Erwin Griswold, former Harvard Law dean and Solicitor General
- Richard Celeste, former governor of Ohio
- Lennox Lewis, former heavyweight champion boxer Anthony Hopkins played one of his first parts in "Othello" at his local YMCA
- Tim Allen (Home Improvement)
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