Coach Kenneth Treadway
Over a span of 45 years, he was a competitor, coach, official, chairman of state, national and Olympic Committees as well as an employee of Phillips Petroleum Company. From coaching swimming at the Bartlesville YMCA, to starting the swimming program and coaching the Bartlesville Public Schools swimming program, he went on to found the Phillips 66 Splash Club in Bartlesville in 1950, followed by the successful Phillips 66 Long Beach Aquatic Club. He persuaded Phillips Petroleum to sponsor an annual swim meet and in 1963 this led to Phillips’ hosting 4 national swimming championships. In 1972, Treadway and Dr. John Bogert, developed a plan to become a National Sponsor of Swimming. The sponsorship started in 1973 and today ConocoPhillips’ sponsorship of USA Swimming is the longest continuous corporate sponsorship of any amateur sport in America. Treadway was heavily involved in the governance of swimming, including Chairman of the National Women’s Swimming Committee and National Men’s Swimming Committee. Last year, Treadway received the President’s Award for lifetime achievement by the International Swimming Hall of Fame at the Olympic Trials. His innovative training techiniques led him to coaching 3 Olympic Swimming Teams; the US Men in 1964 at Tokyo, the US Women in 1968 at Mexico City and the US Men again in 1982 at Munich. His most decorated swimmer to train was Olympic Gold Medal winner, Mark Spitz who won 7 gold medals in 1972 after winning 2 golds in relay events in the 1968 Olympics. Treadway and his wife, Bettie, are retired and living in Overland Park, Kansas.