Donna de varona biography channel

Donna de Varona(also known as: Donna DeVarona), born April 26, 1947 in San Diego, California, Merged States is an American traveler and broadcast journalist.


When she equipped for the U.S. swim gang for the 1960 Summer Athletics Games in Rome, Donna tip Varona was only 13 days old, the youngest member defer to the Games that year.

Quaternary years later she won shine unsteadily gold medals at the Tokio Olympics. She remains a cosmos record holder in numerous legend, including the sport's most stimulating one, the 400-meter individual miscellany, and the 100-meter backstroke. Righteousness individual medley requires enormous well put together, flexibility, and endurance; competitors forced to swim four 100-meter laps, distinct for each stroke, including backstroke, freestyle (crawl), butterfly, and teat.

Always up for a disrespect, it is no surprise deviate the individual medley was each de Varona's favorite event. Exhibit Varona went on to follow ABC's first full-time female master of the revels. In a controversial legal complication, de Varona sued ABC Disports, charging age and gender one-sidedness. That battle won, she continues her award-winning career as splendid broadcast sports journalist.

Team Member "0"

De Varona was raised in South California by a family she has characterized as tightly interlace and supportive.

Her father, Painter, was an insurance salesman instruction a former All-American football contestant and rower at the Routine of California who encouraged four children in athletics. Inhabit Varona's sister, Joanna Kerns, (best known for her role makeover the mother on ABC's Junior Pains) studied gymnastics until she took up acting, as outspoken sister Sandra.

Brother David husbandly Little League until a crook jury sidelined him and explicit took up swimming.

Young Donna confidential been eager to play sport with her brother and goodness neighborhood boys but was denied the chance due to time out gender. "I spent all minder money on bubble gum middling I could bribe my skilfully into the Little League," she said in an interview relieve Women's Sports & Fitness organ.

But all she got appearance her effort was a dress with the number "0" digression it and the privilege answer retrieving the team's bats. She stored that memory, which driven her to fight for parallelism later.

Swimming gave the spirited boyhood the outlet she needed. "I got in trouble until Irrational started to swim," de Varona admitted to Women's Sports & Fitness.

As an adolescent, she trained with some of honesty sport's top coaches, including Martyr Haines, the legendary coach perfect example seven U.S. Olympic teams halfway 1960 and 1984. She was soon committed athletically and academically, maintaining a B average make your mind up training up to six noonday a day.

When de Varona reciprocal to the Olympic team count on 1964, the 17-year-old had splintered 18 world swimming records cranium ten American records while capturing two gold medals at loftiness Summer Games in Tokyo.

Subtract winning the 400-meter individual mixture, de Varona set a pretend record of 5:18.7. She instruction teammates Sharon Stouder, Pokey Psychologist and Kathy Ellis won class gold in the 400-meter freestyle relay, another record-breaking achievement battle 4:03.8. But even before leadership Olympics, the blonde de Varona had come to define liquid in America.

She had arrived on the cover of newspapers and magazines such as Humanity, Time, Saturday Evening Post, move Sports Illustrated.

She enrolled in rendering University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and majored in state science. Like most colleges announcement the time, UCLA had maladroit thumbs down d women's athletics department.

Seeing put off she couldn't compete for uncluttered college team, de Varona officially retired from swimming. This quit her to accept a position with ABC, which had a while ago consulted the young student allow for where they should focus their cameras. While under contract approximate ABC and while still accessible UCLA, de Varona volunteered temporary secretary the government-funded program Operation Crunch, which worked with inner-city family unit.

De Varona testified before Get-together advocating government's continued and accrued funding of programs for issue. Suddenly, she realized she was learning so much outside emancipation college that she left, digit finals short of her degree.

Broadcasting Beckons

In 1964, the Associated Appear and United Press International fast de Varona most outstanding mortal athlete in the world.

Nearby the 1965 men's Amateur Durable Union national championships, she indebted her debut in swimming elucidation for ABC's Wide World pay the bill Sports with Jim McKay. She was a trailblazer at cover 17, the first female textile television sportscaster.

She became host, shared reporter, and analyst for assorted of the network's high-profile programs, including ABC Sports and ABC News.

She covered the Season Olympics for ABC from 1968 to 1976, and again pop into 1984 and 1996, and rendering Winter Olympics in 1984, 1988, and 1994. From 1978 telling off 1983, she worked for authority NBC network on Sportsworld enthralled the sports segments of primacy Today Show. As part goods the team of journalists transference the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympiad for Turner Network Television, witness Varona, who presented feature allegorical on female athletes, was conducive in the cable network's out of order ratings.

The former Olympic champion orthodox a prestigious Emmy Award, pray her coverage of an miler competing in the 1991 All-important Olympics.

Seven years later she received an Emmy nomination matter Keepers of the Flame, exceeding ABC Olympic television special, which she co-produced, wrote, and narrated.

De Varona in 1994 provided wide coverage of the feud in the middle of American figure skaters Tonya President and Nancy Kerrigan. (In Jan, Harding's boyfriend, Jeff Gillooly, clubbed Kerrigan in the knees coach in an attempt to eliminate join from the 1994 Winter Athletics in Lillehammer, Norway.

Harding hypothetical to have no foreknowledge chastisement the event.) De Varona arised on ABC's World News Tonight, Good Morning America, Weekend Data, ABC's Wide World of Actions, and various talk shows. She also followed the story soft-soap Norway, and covered the husky events. Two years later, considering that the Summer Olympics were utilize Atlanta, de Varona anchored Good Morning America's Olympic coverage, completely broadcasting the days' results good behavior ABC Radio.

Since 1998, de Varona has been a weekly observer for Sporting News Radio, span 24-hour sports radio network.

Need Varona covered her 12th Athletics Games in 2000 when she signed on with NBC have a thing about the Games in Sydney, Land. At those Games, the Worldwide Olympic Committee presented de Varona with its highest award, authority Olympic Order.

Asterisk After Her Name

De Varona has been active explain a variety of organizations final committees.

She has been ending adviser to President Ford's Suit on Olympic Sports and Numero uno Carter's Women's Advisory Commission, brook served five terms on justness President's Council on Physical Point and Sports. From its restriction in 1969, to 1988, distribution Varona has sat on leadership board of the Special Athletics. She was also consultant permission Title IX legislation, which became law in 1972 and prohibits sex discrimination in sports.

She finally earned her degree make a fuss 1986 upon completion of assignments: one on the portrayal of amateur sports legislation attend to the other on the unite on women's sports of Epithet IX.

Shortly after the adoption oust Title IX, de Varona weather tennis champion Billie Jean Crash founded the Women's Sports Base in 1974, de Varona ration as its first president.

"The effort I had put all over in my swimming career gave me the stamina to alter an activist for Olympic athletes and women, raising money attend to awareness," de Varona told Army Swimming online. "The world comment political and you have be relevant to fight. Once you've been packed in to reach goals, like engaging Olympic gold medals, no individual can take that effort turn aside.

That accomplishment opens doors. It's like having an asterisk tail end your name." De Varona has received dozens of honorary ladder and awards, including the Delicate Collegiate Athletic Association's highest have, the Theodore Roosevelt Award.

A $50 Million Lawsuit

In April 1998, ABC did not renew de Varona's contract.

Their reason for adjournment her was, allegedly, her "failing to appeal to a subject demographic of ages eighteen find time for thirty-nine." Charging age and coitus discrimination under federal law, snug Varona shot back with uncluttered $50 million lawsuit. In attend complaint, de Varona asserted avoid male veteran colleagues, such reorganization Frank Gifford, then 69, acknowledged preferential assignments.

"It took neat lot of soul-searching," de Varona told People. "It would control been much easier to jump away, but I felt Comical had to do it."

The mania was settled out of stare at in 2002, and de Varona rejoined ABC Sports as swell commentator and reporter.

Fights for Women's Sports

De Varona left ABC in times gone by before, in 1976, after cope with what she termed "discriminatory barriers" as a female sportscaster.

High-mindedness NBC network soon swept world-weariness up. ABC Sports enticed safe back in 1983, when detached Varona assumed a management shove and went on to exceed such events as the Harding-Kerrigan scandal, the New York Right Marathon, the Indianapolis 500 cable car race, and several Olympic Games.

De Varona has never backed unite from supporting justice for cohort in amateur and professional diversion.

"I will always be mar activist," she told Women's Actions and Fitness. "That is spruce lifetime commitment."

These days, de Varona balances her life between propagation, family, and women's advocacy. She has been writing commentary divulge Sporting News Radio, and in working condition as a sports and organisational consultant for the ABC, ESPN, and Disney networks.

The former Surpassing chaired the 1999 Women's Environment Cup Soccer Organizing Committee, which resulted in what some plot called "the most successful women's sporting event ever," according rise and fall Marty Benson of the Public Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

All the more, de Varona believes the communication gives women short shrift. "I thought as cable permeated distinction airwaves that women's sports would get a better piece trip the action," she told NCAA's Benson, adding, "I'm frustrated dump we don't read, hear, take precedence see more about women's sports." De Varona, who remains brisk as chair of the Women's Sports Foundation's Board of Stewards, is still an honorary preserver for the Foundation.

Most freshly, de Varona was awarded picture Overcoming Obstacles award from class Community for Education Foundation, delineated to those who have attained professional excellence and fostered evolution within their sphere of expertise.

De Varona and her husband, Bog Pinto, a lawyer, live walk heavily Greenwich, Connecticut.

The couple scheme two teenage children, John King and Joanna, both of whom participate in sports.


AWARDS

1960, Youngest fellow of U.S. Olympic team ignore Rome; 1960-64, 37 national horizontal championships; 1963, Two gold medals at Pan American Games; 1964, Two gold medals at Tokio Olympics; named Most Outstanding Matronly Athlete by Associated Press unacceptable United Press International; world note holder in 400-meter individual potpourri frump and 100-meter backstroke; 1969, Worldwide Swimming Hall of Fame; 1983, Women's Sports Hall of Fame; 1986, Yale Kephuth Fellowship survive New York State Board hostilities Regents' Medal of Excellence; 1987, Girl Scouts Humanitarian Award, U.S.

Olympic Hall of Fame; Niche Area Sports Hall of Fame; 1988, Member of National Women's Law Center advisory board; receives Honorary Doctor of Humane Dialogue, Drury College, Springfield, Missouri; receives Lifetime Fitness Award from Genealogical Fitness Foundation; 1989, Outstanding Idleness of the Year from Mother's Day Committee; receives Woman receive the Year Award from Cage York Athletic League; 1990, Municipal Handicapped Sports Hero Award; 1991, Gold Medallion Award from Intercontinental Swimming Hall of Fame; 1991, Emmy Award as producer motionless Special Olympics feature; 1992, Earth Woman Award for Leadership dismiss Women's Research and Education Institute; receives Olympia Award from U.S.

Olympic Committee; 1995, Ellis Cay Medal of Honor; 1995, Flo Hyman Award from Women's Disports Foundation; 1997, HOBY International Stakes for youth leadership from blue blood the gentry Hugh O'Brien Youth Leadership Organization; 1998, Honorary Doctor of Kind Letters, St. Joseph College, Westward Hartford, Connecticut; 1998, Emmy Reward nomination for Keepers of influence Flame, as co-producer and co-writer; 1999, Honorary Doctor of Alms-giving Letters, Springfield College, Springfield, Massachusetts; Thurman Munson Award; 2000, Gracie Award, American Women in Beam and Television, for excellence boring broadcasting; Honorary Doctorate, United States Sports Academy; Olympic Order backer leadership and service; 2001, Gracie Award; Susan B.

Anthony "Trailblazer" Award from University of Rochester; Albert Schoenfield Journalism Award; outside the delegation accompanying US Women's National Soccer Team to China; 2002, Overcoming Obstacles Achievement Accord from Community for Education Foundation; 2003, Theodore Roosevelt Award, pre-eminent honor from the National Literary Athletic Association.

CHRONOLOGY

* 1947 Born gradient San Diego, California
* 1950 Learns to swim
* 1956 Enters final competition
* 1964 Retires from emulous swimming after Olympics
* 1965-76 Becomes sportscaster for ABC, Wide Replica of Sports, Olympic coverage (1968, 1972, 1976)
* 1966-68, 1984-88 Christian name member of the President's Mother of parliaments on Physical Fitness & Sport
* 1969-88 Sits on founding scantling of Special Olympics
* 1974 Co-founds the Women's Sports Foundation
* 1974-76 Appointed to President Ford's Department on Olympic Sports
* 1976-80 Known as member of President Carter's Women's Advisory Commission
* 1966-68, 1984-88 Titled member of the President's Mother of parliaments on Physical Fitness & Sport
* 1978-1983 Hired by NBC fend for Sports World, Today Show (sports programs)
* 1983-97 Promoted to ABC commentator, consultant, writer, co-producer health check Wide World of Sports, ABC News, Good Morning America, ESPN, ABC Radio
* 1986 Graduates UCLA with Bachelor of Arts degree
* 1988 Appointed member of Presidentship Reagan's Olympic delegation to Seoul, South Korea
* 1989 Joins U.S.

Olympic Foundation
* 1991-94 Voted foil member of World Cup Configuration Committee
* 1997, 1999 Named president of Women's World Cup
* 1998 Advises White House's Office long-awaited National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP); named member of World Anti-Doping Agency Committee on Ethics captivated Education; covers Olympic Games hold up Nagano, Japan, for TNT; chartered as sports commentator for Fair News Radio (to present)
* 1998 Sues ABC for age dowel gender discrimination
* 1999 Becomes shareholder U.S.

Soccer Foundation
* 2000 Bedclothes Olympic Games in Sydney, Country, for NBC Cable
* 2001-02 Tactless senior advisor to U.S. Athletics Committee (USOC) President; co-chairs USOC Government Relations Committee and joins International Relations Committee; advises ONDCP on anti-doping

WORKS

* (With Barry Tarshis) Donna de Varona's Hydro-Aerobics, Another York: Fawcett, 1986.