9. Murray Stephens
There’s no question that Michael Phelps could be on this #WNSTSweet16 list but the real dreamer of his dream was first North Baltimore Aquatic Club head coach Murray Stephens who began putting local kids into pools in 1968. Stephens immediately started sending NBAC swimmers to Olympic trials and the pool became a mine for gold over the years.
An Olympic coach on the 1996 team and involved in Pan American, Goodwill Games and any other place where a stop watch was used in a natatorium, sure you can trace Phelps and a long string of gold medals back to Meadowbrook.
Olympians Theresa Andrews, Anita Nall, Beth Botsford, Jessica Long and thousands of other kids (and families) got their first swim with Coach Stephens. He dreamed, one stroke at a time. And the rest happened magically and the world took notice…
See next page for No. 8
