John Munley Memorial Swimming Scholarship
Big Ten photographers took the picture above of John on February 22, 2001 immediately after John won the consolation heat of the 500 yard freestyle in a time of 4:22:04, the second fastest time in the history of Michigan State University. The very next day John broke the Michigan State University record in the 200-yard freestyle twice in two separate swims with times of 1:36.74 and 1:36.60.
John Munley swam for Michigan State University from 1997-2001. Not heavily recruited out of high school, John went on to be the Most Valuable Swimmer for all four years, served as Team Co-captain, qualified for Olympic Trials, and finished his senior season with the varsity record in the 200-yard freestyle. He was known for his dedication and hard work in the pool, setting high training standards for himself and his teammates, and challenging himself and others to be the best they could be. John was also well known for his Spartan Spirit. While training for the Olympic Trials, he was thrown out of the weight room at the University of Michigan for wearing a State T-shirt. John decided that was unacceptable, so he had a Spartan S tattooed on his hip and remarked, ‘They will not be able to take this off me.’