Sammy Lee, MD '47

Dr. Sammy Lee

Dr. Sammy Lee was the first American of Asian descent to win an Olympic gold medal for the United States. The diminutive champion, just over 5-feet tall, had to overcome many challenges before attaining his goals: to be an Olympic Champion and to be a Medical Doctor. He had promised his father, Soonkee Rhee, he would do both.

Lee studied pre-med at Occidental College. Due to the outbreak of World War II, an urgent need for doctors arose and Lee enrolled in an "accelerated program," completing the normal four-year curriculum in just three years. He received his MD in 1947 and was a member of the U.S. Army Medical Corps. During his education and service to his country, Lee would squeeze in diving practice when he could. 

Practice was made more difficult, because of the discrimination he faced.  Lee would practice at the Los Angeles Swim Stadium and Brookside pool, but non-Caucasians could only use the pool at Brookside one day a week. The pool was emptied after they used it and refilled the next day. When the pool was closed to Lee, he would often practice his diving form by jumping onto a sand pile. His big break came when renowned diving coach Jim Ryan took him under his tutelage. Ryan was a large man of Irish descent, who stood 6' - 4" tall and weighed 275 pounds.  He would take Lee to the Los Angeles Athletic Club, which was normally closed to the minorities, but no one dared to tell Jim Ryan that Lee couldn't come into the club with him.

The 1940 and 1944 Olympic Games had been canceled due to the war and it was not until the London Games in 1948, at age 28, that Lee could bid for his first Olympic medal. He astounded the world by winning a gold medal in the Men's 10-meter platform.   When he broke the surface after nailing his last dive, a forward three and a half somersault, and saw his marks of 10, 9, 9.5, 7, 9, he realized he was Olympic champion. He also won a bronze medal in the 3 meter springboard. In the 1952 Helsinki Games, Lee won his second gold medal in the International Olympic Men's platform. At 32, he was the oldest person to win a gold medal in diving, and the first male diver to win back-to-back diving gold medals.

Lee retired from competitive diving in 1953 but he remained involved in the sport.  That same year he was awarded the James E. Sullivan Trophy, given to the most outstanding U.S. amateur athlete. He was the 1st person of color to win it. In 1954, he was Sports Ambassador to Southeast Asia, touring Southeast Asia, coaching and giving diving exhibitions, and lecturing on the Olympics. After resigning his Regular Army Commission, he went into private practice as an ear, nose, and throat specialist.

He was the personal presidential representative for President Eisenhower to the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, President Nixon to the 1972 Munich Olympics, and President Reagan to the 1988 Seoul Olympics. He was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, and International Hall of Fame. He was the U.S. Olympic diving coach in the 1960 Rome Olympics and the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.  He coached Bob Webster to gold medals in 1960 and 1964 and the great Greg Louganis to a silver medal in 1976.  His book Diving was published in 1979. He was a member of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports from 1950 to 1990.

Lee recently turned 88 and leads an active life in Southern California with his wife, Roz, their children, Pamela and Sammy II, and their three grandchildren. He plays golf regularly, and not surprisingly, swims laps every day. The 2008 Olympics in Beijing marked the 60th anniversary of Lee's gold and bronze medal wins at the 1948 Olympics in London. Dr. and Mrs. Lee attended the Beijing games as guests of U.S. Diving, Inc., and others. In this Olympic year, we honor Dr. Sammy Lee for his life as a physician, a coach and an Olympic champion.

A young Dr. Lee