1948
Gold Medal, 100-Meter Backstroke
1952
4th Place, 100-Meter Backstroke
1948 Olympic Games
London, United Kingdom
Allen Stack swam for Yale University from 1947 to 1949, setting seven World backstroke records, 22 American records and winning 10 National AAU championships.
He earned a spot on the U.S. Swimming team in the 1948 Olympics in London. He won his heat in the prelims of the 100-meter backstroke in 1:06.6, won his semifinal heat in 1:07.3, and captured the Gold medal in the 100-meter backstroke in 1:06.4.
1952 Olympic Games
Helsinki, Finland
After graduating from Yale, Allan went into the Navy and was swimming for them when the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki rolled around.
Stack was again chosen for the U.S. Olympic team to defend his Olympic title in the 100-meter backstroke. He finished second in his heat in 1:08.9, and finished a heart-breaking fourth in the finals in 1:07.6, only 8/10 of a second from a medal.
After the Olympics, he graduated from Columbia University Law School and moved to Hawaii where he practiced law. He took over his wife Tita Marks Stack’s membership in the Outrigger Canoe Club in 1956.
Allen was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1979, the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame in 1998, and the Hawaii Swimming Hall of Fame in 2002.
World Records*
100 Meters Backstroke, 1:04.0, New Haven, 6/23/1948
100-Meters Backstroke, 1:04.0, New Haven, 7/23/1948
100-Meters Backstroke, 1:03.6, New Haven, Conn, 2/4/1949
150 Yards Backstroke, 1:29.9, New Haven, Conn, 5/5/1949
200-Meters Backstroke, 2:18.5, New Haven, Conn. 5/4/1949
300 Yards Medley Relay, 2:57.6, (Backstroke), Yale University, 11/8/1946
400 Meters Backstroke, 5:03.9, New Haven, 2/14/1948
*World records provided by ISHOF 2019