Frank Edward McKinney Jr. (November 3, 1938 – September 11, 1992) was an American competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and world record-holder. He later became a prominent executive in the American banking industry, but died in a mid-air collision of two aircraft.

Frank McKinney
Frank McKinney at the 1960 Olympics.
Personal information
Full nameFrank Edward McKinney Jr.
National team United States
Born(1938-11-03)November 3, 1938
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
DiedSeptember 11, 1992(1992-09-11) (aged 53)
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight163 lb (74 kg)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesBackstroke
ClubIndianapolis Athletic Club
College teamIndiana University
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1960 Rome 4x100 m medley
Silver medal – second place 1960 Rome 100 m backstroke
Bronze medal – third place 1956 Melbourne 100 m backstroke
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1955 Mexico City 100 m back
Gold medal – first place 1955 Mexico City 4x100 m medley
Gold medal – first place 1959 Chicago 100 m back
Gold medal – first place 1959 Chicago 4x100 m medley
Representing Indiana
NCAA
Gold medal – first place 1959 Ithaca 100 yard backstroke
Gold medal – first place 1959 Ithaca 200 yard backstroke
Gold medal – first place 1960 University Park 400 yard medley relay

McKinney was the son of Frank E. McKinney, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee and a former owner of the National League's Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball.

He was the youngest member of a U.S. national swim team which set a world record in the 4×100-meter medley relay at the 1955 Pan American Games. At the Pan American Games, the 16-year-old high school student also won a gold medal in the 100-meter backstroke.

Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, he did the most to introduce modern backstroke techniques. Following Yoshi Oyakawa as the premier U.S. backstroker, McKinney was the pioneer of the modern bent-arm backstrokers, even as Oyakawa had been the last of the straight-arm school. McKinney was the leader of a remarkable group of teenagers who won the U.S. Nationals for the Indianapolis Athletic Club alongside Mike Troy, Bill Barton, Bill Cass and Alan Somers. Later, they would all swim for the Indiana Hoosiers swimming and diving team under coach Doc Counsilman at Indiana University.

McKinney captured a bronze medal in the men's 100-meter backstroke at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia,[1] then afterward entered Indiana University.

At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy, he received a silver medal for his second-place finish in the men's 100-meter backstroke.[1] He also won a gold medal by swimming the lead-off backstroke leg for the first-place U.S. team in the men's 4×100-meter medley relay.[1]

McKinney retired from competition after graduating from Indiana University in 1961, and went into banking. He was the president of Bank One of Indiana (previously American Fletcher National Bank), headquartered in Indianapolis when he died, aged 53, in a mid-air collision between two aircraft in 1992. As part of the merger, he also became president of the Columbus, Ohio-based parent company, Banc One Corporation, while still the chief executive officer of the Indiana subsidiary.[2][3] McKinney was traveling to Columbus, Ohio, with three other civic leaders, who were also killed along with the pilots of both aircraft.[4] [5] He is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes, Frank McKinney Archived August 31, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
  2. ^ Berg, Eric N. (May 8, 1986). "Banc One to Buy American Fletcher". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Ansberry, Clare & Bailey, Jeff (May 8, 1986). "Banc One Sets Pact to Acquire Banking Firm --- Indiana's American Fletcher To Be Bought for Stock Valued at $597.3 Million". The Wall Street Journal (Eastern ed.). p. 1. ProQuest 398015766. Archived from the original on December 12, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2017. Under the agreement, John B. McCoy, Banc One's president and chief executive officer, would become chairman and continue as chief executive of Banc One. He would succeed John Havens who retired as chairman last month. Mr. McKinney would become Banc One president, based in Indianapolis.
  4. ^ "Indiana plane crashes". Indianapolis Star. May 1, 2002. Archived from the original on June 27, 2013. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
  5. ^ Thomas, Robert McG. Jr. (September 13, 1992). "Frank McKinney, 53, Ex-Olympic Swimmer, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
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