The teenagers stretching behind the blocks at the Florida Summer Area 5 Championship last month were quietly smiling and pointing at the “old guy” behind the blocks.
What those kids didn’t know was that the “old guy” behind the blocks was Michael Gilliam, a two-time NCAA champion, three-time SEC champion, 2001 SEC Swimmer of the Year, former American record holder and the fifth member of a University of Tennessee swimming family that has accumulated a combined 41 All-American honors.
Despite his impressive credentials, he joked that he felt a bit like Mr. Incredible trying to squeeze back into a super suit he had outgrown a decade ago.
Michael had kept swimming and working out over the years, partly because he loved to eat. But now there was a new hunger driving his training. His son, Jack.
What followed was all in good fun, but make no mistake. Both Gilliams were in it to win it.
”Obviously, I wouldn’t have trained as hard and worked as hard if I wasn’t trying to beat Jack. And I think he was working hard to make sure he beat his dad.”
Growing up Gilliam
The Gilliam name has been part of Tennessee swimming for more than five decades. Michael was the fifth member of his family to swim for the Volunteers, following his father, Steve, his uncles Mark and Keith, and his brother Craig. Craig was an eleven-time All-American who helped Tennessee win the 1996 NCAA title in the 200 medley relay.
L-R Doug Dickey, Athletic Director; Michael Gilliam; John Trembley, Head Swimming Coach; Steve Gilliam; Craig Gilliam
At the 2001 NCAA Championships, Michael won the 100 backstroke in 45.97, one of two NCAA titles he would claim in the event. As the leadoff swimmer on Tennessee’s 400 medley relay, he went even faster, splitting 45.63 and setting a school record that stood for 18 years.
He could sprint freestyle, too. Michael went 19.67 in prelims of the 50 free at those same NCAA Championships before finishing sixth in 19.68.
Those numbers came in a different era of college swimming, but they tell you something about the swimmer Michael was.
For Jack, though, his father’s swimming history was mostly something he heard about rather than something he experienced.
He wanted more stories.
When asked whether his dad talked about his college swimming days, Jack’s answer was telling.
“Not as much as I wish to hear.”
Tennessee Swimming and Diving 2000-2001 Season Poster
The $10,000 Millionaire
Just weeks after 9/11, Michael competed in the inaugural Novo Nordisk Sprint Cup in New York, a professional “dash for cash” event featuring some of the world’s fastest swimmers and a $310,000 total prize purse. Olympic champion Gary Hall Jr. was behind the idea for the meet. Hall had type 1 diabetes and was sponsored by Novo Nordisk.
Michael won the 50-meter backstroke (SCM) in 24.17, upsetting the reigning world-record holder Neil Walker, who touched second in 24.28. In prelims, Gilliam had gone even faster, swimming 23.93, the second-fastest time in the world at the time. Only Walker’s 23.42, swum the previous year, was faster. Gilliam’s prize for the win was $10,000.
“As a broke college student, winning $10,000 from swimming made me feel like a millionaire,” Michael recalled.
Just as swimming times have changed, so has the value of a $10,000 payday.
Following the 2004 Olympic Trials, Michael decided to hang up his cap and goggles, ending his storied career. “When I retired from swimming, I didn’t even like taking a shower because I was so sick of being wet,” he joked.
Last month, however, Michael was back in the pool, this time racing his son.
How It Happened
So how did a retired two-time NCAA champion end up behind the blocks racing his 16-year-old son?
Five Gilliams and a Handful of Hardware
Jack needed some faster competition to help him chase his own goals. Michael offered a simple solution. He would get back in the water and give Jack someone to race.
Shaking off more than two decades of retirement required more than just finding an old pair of goggles. After reinstating his USA Swimming membership, the training began and so did the trash talk, although Jack admits to talking more.
“The banter is totally encouraging,” Michael says.
For Jack, the idea of actually racing his father was both exciting and surreal.
“I always did imagine racing Dad. I didn’t know it was going to come so quickly, though. He always seemed like such a fast swimmer that I was never going to get there.”
80% Nervous, 20% Excited
At the summer short course meet, they intentionally entered only two events together: the 50 freestyle and the 50 backstroke.
When the day of the meet arrived, the reality of the challenge set in. Jack described his mindset as “80% nervous, 20% excited.”
The first showdown was the 50 free.
“Before I even got on the block, I was like, ‘I got this,’” Jack said.
And he did.
Jack touched first in a personal best time of 21.81. Michael was right behind him, throwing down a 21.99. That wasn’t just Dad fast. That was legit fast.
Next was the 50 back, Michael’s signature stroke. Decades of muscle memory kicked in as the elder Gilliam out-touched his son in 23.93, leaving Jack with a second-place finish in 24.90.
Jack reflected on his feelings after the backstroke race, where he felt he had slipped on the start. Ironically, backstroke ledges didn’t even exist in his dad’s day. ”I wanted to just blame everything, but I knew it was my fault,” he said. “It was all me, because that’s a big part of swimming. You can’t blame it on your teammates or the opponent.”
But he took great pride in the one that he won. ”After I beat him, I felt accomplished,” Jack said proudly. “It’s never been done before.”
Michael also reflected on racing his son. “Getting to race Jack was actually very memorable and exciting because we were right there together. Finishing one and two was a nice little added touch for both of us in each event.”
Jack’s Time
Michael knows his return to the blocks to race his son was a beautiful anomaly. He doesn’t expect to race Jack again anytime soon, although he plans to continue swimming and competing in Masters.
“Now I think Jack will continue to accelerate and I won’t be able to keep up anymore,” Michael said. “It’s probably the last time we will race… until he’s in Masters.”
Though Michael still offers Jack technical tips on racing mentality and little tricks he learned from his own older brother (like wearing a college-style nose clip in high school) he is pretty intentional about making sure Jack’s career belongs entirely to Jack. “I try to make sure to leave the coaching to his coaches,” Michael said. “This is all his journey. It’s no longer my journey.”
With the high school season about to begin in Florida, Jack has his sights set on breaking a school record, chasing Futures and Junior National cuts, and preparing for his own upcoming college journey.
And his dad will be right there as he takes his next steps.
“I think the swimming together was a nice passing of the torch,” Michael said. “But now he can carry on the Gilliam name in his own right. It’s definitely his journey now, and this is my time to sit back into the shadows and cheer him on.”
When asked how it feels to hear his father say that the next chapter belongs to him, Jack replied, “I don’t feel pressured. I take honor in that. The sky’s the limit.”
All Photos Courtesy of the Gilliam Family.
