No other group of Bowdoin swimmers dominated its era in both
individual and team competitions than did Jim Farrar ’76,
Jeff McBride ’77, Steve Potter ’76, Rick Rendall
’76, and Dave Thurber ’76.
By the end of their careers at Bowdoin the five had tallied a
dizzying number of college, state, and national championships and
recognitions, and are remembered both as outstanding individual
athletes and as one of the greatest relay teams ever to swim at
Bowdoin.
Thriving as individuals and as teammates, learning from legendary
coach Charlie Butt, and with a fiery competitive spirit, Thurber
became the most decorated swimmer in school history while Farrar,
McBride, Potter and Rendall came together as a formidable team to
win the 1976 National Championship in the 400-yard freestyle
relay.
A native of Naugatuck, Connecticut, Jim Farrar prepared for Bowdoin
at Naugatuck High School and Avon Old Farms School in Avon,
Connecticut. A Dean’s List student at Bowdoin, he graduated
with a major in history. He was also an All-New England water polo
athlete at Bowdoin. Farrar resides in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, with
his wife, Becky Jo, and their three children.
Jeff McBride grew up in Chicago, Illinois, and is a graduate of New
Trier East High School in Winnetka, Illinois. Majoring in history
and sociology, he was a Dean’s List student at Bowdoin.
McBride lives in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, with his wife,
Donna.
Raised in Glens Falls, New York, Steve Potter attended Glens Falls
High School. He was a double major at Bowdoin in economics and
German, received highest honors in German, and was a Dean’s
List student. He resides in Atlantic Beach, Florida, with his wife,
Lauren, and their three children.
A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, Rick Rendall is a graduate of
Eastside High School in Greenville, South Carolina. A biology major
at Bowdoin, he was captain and All- New England on the water polo
team. He resides in Lisbon Falls, Maine, with his wife, Joyce
Tewksbury Rendall ’76, and their three children.
Majoring in sociology at Bowdoin, Dave Thurber was awarded the
Miller Swimming Trophy in 1975 as Bowdoin’s most outstanding
swimmer. Thurber is a native of and lives in Barrington, Rhode
Island, with his wife, Deborah, and his two children. He is an
alumnus of Barrington High School.
