Wabash College Athletics Hall of Fame
John D. Kay, you came to Wabash in the fall of 1974 from nearby Frankfort, Indiana at a time when many believe the College’s swimming and diving program was making its biggest waves on a national level. Coach Doug Landgraf recruited you because of your brains—you were valedictorian of your graduating class—and brawn—you were among Indiana’s finest swimmers in all four of your prep seasons. Coach Landgraf put together a collection of swimmers during your time on campus that rivals any group in Wabash swimming history. Two conference championships and two sixth place finishes at the NCAA Championships are testament to the level of talent on the Wabash campus.
You were a champion breaststroker, routinely setting school and pool records, then breaking them, and you even held Wabash’s sprint freestyle a record for a while. A biology major and member of Sigma Chi, you made the Dean’s List throughout your Wabash career, and earned All-America recognition nine times over four seasons. After a remarkable rookie year, you were named Most Improved Swimmer as a sophomore when you finished third in the 100 breaststroke and fourth in the 200 breaststroke at the national championships. You captained the team in your senior season, and with three All-American finishes, helped Wabash to sixth place at the championships.
After Wabash, you entered the Indiana University School of Medicine, completed a residency in ophthalmology at Ohio State, and became a Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in 1988. Today you live in Effingham, Illinois, with your wife, Ingrid, and your three children, where you are active in your community, your children’s schools, and as a leading doctor in the area. For so ably combining academic and athletic excellence in the pool and classroom, the National Association of Wabash Men is proud to induct you, John D. Kay, in the Wabash College Athletics Hall of Fame.
