June 8, 2009

ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis head swimming and diving coach Jim Halliburton has found himself in the spotlight in recent months for his coaching and swimming accomplishments. On March 1, he became the seventh male swimmer inducted into the Ozark Swimming Hall of Fame. Later that same week, Halliburton was selected to the Missouri Athletic Club Hall of Fame in recognition of his coaching achievements.

Most recently at the St. Louis Senior Olympics, Halliburton turned in 11 record-breaking performances, each of which earned him a gold medal in the men's 50-54 age group. He won all 11 of the events in which he competed during his first St. Louis Senior Olympics. Halliburton won the 50, 100 and 200 backstroke and the 50 and 100 butterfly as well as the 100 and 200 individual medley. He also touched first in the 50, 100, 200 and 500 freestyle.

A former member of the Clayton Shaw Park (CSP) swim team, Halliburton is one of just 11 people ever inducted into the Ozark Swimming Hall of Fame. As a competitor, Halliburton was a member of the United States National Team from 1978 to 1982 and was team captain in his final season with the squad. A former American record holder in the 100-meter butterfly, he was twice ranked No. 1 in the world. At Indiana University, Halliburton was a seven-time Big Ten champion and broke Mark Spitz's Big Ten record in the 100 fly. Halliburton was also a four-time NCAA All-American.

Halliburton was one of eight members of the 2009 Missouri Athletic Club Hall of Fame class. His coaching accomplishments include turning around swim programs at the Rockwood Swim Club, Marquette High School and the MAC Summer League. His longest tenure was as the head coach of the Rockwood Swim Club, where from 1985 to 2006 he took a program with 38 swimmers and turned it into a national-champion squad comprised of 500 swimmers. Halliburton's Marquette team won three state championships in his last four seasons. In just two seasons with the MAC Summer League team, Halliburton took a team that did not win a meet in 1999 to a conference championship in 2001. He was named U.S. National Team Coach three times and Region 8 Coach of the Year six times.

The winningest swimming and diving coach in SLU history, Halliburton has coached two world-record holders and 20 swimmers in the Olympic Trials. Two of his swimmers have competed in the Olympic Games. More than 50 swimmers training under him have ranked in the top 16 in the United States in their age group, and eight of them were ranked No. 1. Halliburton, who just completed his eighth season as the skipper of the Billiken program, has helped Saint Louis student-athletes garner two CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) Academic All-America plaudits, seven individual conference titles, two Atlantic 10 Conference Student-Athlete of the Year honors and 11 Academic All-Conference selections.