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Arlington's Dolan Swims Over to Nike

By Christine Brennan
Washington Post Staff Writer
May 10, 1996

In the grand tradition of Air Jordan, Nike is about to introduce H2O Dolan.

Change the swoosh to a splash. Replace those running shoes with swimmer's briefs. The U.S. shoe giant is jumping into the swimming pool, and already it has nabbed the biggest American fish of all, Arlington's Tom Dolan.

Dolan, the world-record holder in the 400-meter individual medley and America's top swimmer, recently signed a two-year contract with Nike that is believed to be worth more than $100,000, including bonuses for any medals he wins at the upcoming Summer Olympics. It is the largest deal Nike has signed with a swimmer.

Dolan was able to sign such a contract because he gave up his final year of eligibility at the University of Michigan to pursue promotional and commercial opportunities before, during and after the Atlanta Games. NCAA rules prohibit athletes from making money in their sport.

"You look at Tom, you just see Nike," said Dolan's agent Helen Broder, director of Olympic sports at Advantage International.

Dolan, 20, wears a hoop earring. When he puts a baseball cap on his head, he wears it backwards. He had a scraggly goatee before shaving it off at the Olympic trials in March. He even has a small tattoo on his hip, depicting the University of Michigan's "M" logo.

"He brings not only his incredible talents as a swimmer, but we think he brings an image to our swimmer division," said Carrie Bates, manager of sports promotions/competitive swimwear for Nike Swim.

"He's an incredible competitor, a fierce competitor, who places a very high level of expectation on himself," Bates added. "In my opinion, Tom's the biggest name in swimming right now."

Nike Swim has signed several other 1996 U.S. Olympic swimmers, including backstroker Jeff Rouse and breaststroke specialist Eric Wunderlich. In all, the company has six Olympic swimmers under contract.

"We're not really sure how we'll use Tom," Bates said. "We certainly have every anticipation of using Tom in whatever campaign he fits into."

At the very least, Dolan will wear a Nike swimming suit, complete with the trademark swoosh, in his Olympic races. Most of the rest of his wardrobe, however, will be supplied by the competition. As a member of the Olympic swimming team, Dolan is required to wear deck apparel made by Speedo, the swimming team's official sponsor. If he wins a medal (or two or three), he must wear his U.S. team warmups made by Champion, the official outfitter of the entire U.S. Olympic team, to the awards ceremony.

Dolan was training in Colorado Springs and could not be reached for comment.