Sammy Lee

Olympic Diver

• Born: August 1, 1920
• Birthplace: Fresno, California
• Died: December 2, 2016
• Birthplace: Newport Beach, California

Sport: Diving

Early Life

Samuel Lee was born on August 1, 1920, in Fresno, California. He and his family soon moved to Los Angeles. His father, Sonkee Lee, and his mother, Eunkee Chun Lee, owned and operated a small family restaurant. Both parents were immigrants from Korea; the family was poor but hardworking. Sonkee Lee always encouraged his son to study hard in his classes so he could become a doctor.

Sammy did not have enough money to buy tickets for the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, but he was inspired by the Games. He decided he wanted to become an Olympic champion, but did not know what his sport would be until the next summer. His love for diving started when he was playing follow-the-leader at the local pool. Sammy taught himself to dive well enough to compete in local meets. His father supported his interest in sport as long as it did not interfere with his studies. Sammy took his father’s advice to heart, studied hard, and was student body president at Luther Burbank Junior High School.

The Road to Excellence

Sammy taught himself so well that he made the high school diving team and won the California high school championship three years in a row. In 1938, he competed in the Los Angeles Invitational meet, where he caught the eye of former Pacific Coast diving champion Jim Ryan, then a coach. After watching Sammy dive, Ryan decided he could make Sammy the world’s greatest diver. The two worked together every day, and Ryan soon changed Sammy from an average diver into a champion.

Sometimes at practice or meets, Sammy would hear people say: “Boy, if Sammy Lee were white, he’d be national champion.” That upset him so much he would sometimes tell them that he heard their comments. He would say: “Listen, I may not look white, but I’m an American and I’m going to make it.” Of course, that made him work all the harder to achieve his Olympic dream.

Sammy did make it. In 1939, he graduated first in his class from Benjamin Franklin High School. Although only 5 feet 1 3/4 inches tall, he was also named the most outstanding athlete in the school. He started classes at Occidental College the next fall and also continued diving. In 1940, he won the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) junior national springboard and platform titles.

In 1942, he won the AAU senior springboard and platform championships, his first major diving titles. Then he took time off from sports to finish college and begin at the University of Southern California Medical School. However, Sammy came back to win the AAU platform title again in 1946. He graduated from medical school the next year and enlisted in the United States Army Medical Corps.

The Emerging Champion

In 1948, Sammy won the gold medal in platform diving at the London Olympic Games. By that time he was a twenty-eight-year-old lieutenant in the US Army. He was the first Asian American diver to win the gold. For his final dive, he chose such a hard stunt that no one had ever done it before in a meet: a 3 1/2 somersault. He said it felt like a belly flop. The dive was excellent. It got high scores of 9 1/2 and 10 from the judges, giving Sammy the points needed for victory.

In 1950, Sammy married Rosiland M. K. Wong, a Chinese American. At that time, he was still a doctor for the US Army, and the United States was involved in the Korean War. In 1952, however, Olympic diving coach Mike Peppe urged Sammy to start diving again and to try to make the Olympic team. After getting permission from his commanding officer, Sammy started practicing once more.

At the 1952 Olympics at Helsinki, Finland, Sammy won the gold in platform diving again, setting two records. He was the first athlete to win the medal in two successive Olympics and the oldest diver, at thirty-two, to win an Olympic medal. Sammy’s Olympic experience was exciting, not only because of the medals and the records but also because he did it all on his birthday.

Sammy became a great champion because he was enthusiastic and willing to try things that had never been done before. He was inventive and changed diving by his courage and creativity. During his career, he added five new and difficult dives to the official lists.

Continuing the Story

Sammy retired from diving competition after the 1952 Olympics. He continued to be a successful physician, specializing in the ear diseases that are a big problem for swimmers and divers. He also stayed involved with diving and the Olympics. His successful medical practice made it possible to stay in touch with his first love, diving.

In 1954, he was the first American Sports Ambassador to tour Southeast Asia. He was sent by the Information and Cultural Exchange Program sponsored by the US State Department. Furthermore, he was sent by three presidents, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard M. Nixon, and Ronald Reagan, as their personal representative to the Olympic Games of 1956, 1972, and 1988. Sammy was also appointed to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports by four presidents. He served on that council from 1970 to 1980.

Sammy coached two Olympic champions. He coached Bob Webster from the beginning of his career through his gold medals in 1960 and 1964. He was also the first coach for 1984 and 1988 Olympic champion Greg Louganis, coaching Greg through his silver medal at Montreal in 1976. Sammy coached the US Olympic diving team in 1960 and the Japanese and Korean Olympic diving teams in 1964. In 1968, he was an Olympic diving judge and an inductee into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. In 1979, Sammy Lee and Steve Lehrman wrote a successful book entitled Diving. In 1990, Sammy was inducted into the US Olympic Hall of Fame. In 2010, the city of Los Angeles dedicated Sammy Lee Square in the Koreatown district. In 2013, the Los Angeles Unified School District opened the Dr. Sammy Lee Medical and Health Science Magnet.

Lee continued to practice medicine until 1990. After retirement, he remained active, swimming and playing golf and tennis regularly. In his later years, Lee suffered from dementia. In 2013 he made headlines again, after failing to return home from a regular outing to his local sports club. The police were alerted, and he was found the following evening, having driven three counties away and being very disoriented. Lee passed away on December 2, 2016, after suffering from a bout of pneumonia. He was ninety-six years old. He was survived by his wife, his two children—Pamela and Sammy—and three grandchildren.

Summary

Sammy Lee was a gifted athlete who overcame racial discrimination and financial problems to become a world champion and an inspiration to other Asian Americans. By winning national titles while finishing medical school and by taking his first Olympic gold medal only a year after he graduated, Sammy also showed that athletics and academics can go together well. Since that time, he has been a successful doctor and father of two children. He has also given his time to help other athletes in the United States and abroad to become successful in diving. He served several US presidents and worked tirelessly for the Olympic movement.

Bibliography

Crowe, Jerry. "Lee Never Let Racism Block His March to Diving Glory." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2011. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

Lee, Sammy. An Olympian’s Oral History: Sammy Lee, 1948 and 1952 Olympic Games, Diving. Los Angeles: Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles, 1999. Print.

Nelson, Valerie J. "Sammy Lee, Diver Who Became First Asian American to Win Olympic Medal, Dies at 96." Los Angeles Times, 3 Dec. 2016, http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-sammy-lee-snap-20161203-story.html. Accessed 5 Jan. 2017.

Wallechinsky, David, and Jaime Loucky. The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2012 Edition. London: Aurum, 2008. Print.