Phil Boggs

American diver
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Quick Facts
Born:
December 29, 1949, Akron, Ohio, U.S.
Died:
July 4, 1990, Miami, Florida (aged 40)
Awards And Honors:
Olympic Games

Phil Boggs (born December 29, 1949, Akron, Ohio, U.S.—died July 4, 1990, Miami, Florida) was an American diver who won a gold medal in springboard diving at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.

After competing at Florida State University (1967–71), Boggs enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. While in the service, he continued diving, winning the world springboard championships in 1973 and 1975. He had attained the rank of captain when he won the gold medal at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. He left the service shortly thereafter to pursue a legal career. While attending law school, Boggs won the 1978 world springboard championships in West Berlin (now Berlin); he also trained for the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow but was prevented from participating by the U.S. boycott. In addition to his Olympic and world championship victories, he also won nine U.S. national titles.

Boggs later served as the president of United States Diving (1980–84), a national governing body. In 1985 he was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. Five years later he died at the age of 40 after being diagnosed with lymphoma.

Silhouette of hand holding sport torch behind the rings of an Olympic flag, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; February 3, 2015.
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The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Barbara A. Schreiber.