University of Minnesota Athletics
Niels Thorpe - M Club Hall of Fame
Niels ThorpeSwimming & Diving (1920-57)
Taking command of Minnesota Swimming in 1920, Niels Thorpe guides his team to Big Ten Championships in 1922 and '26 and eight second-place finishes. He also produced a legion of outstanding swimmers, including a sizable batch of Big Ten and national champs.
Thorpe was born on a small farm in northern Denmark in 1982. During his boyhood, he learned to swim in the icy North Sea.
The young Thorpe decided to emigrate to the United States only a few weeks before the outbreak of World War I.