Leroy Colombo: A Brief Biography

LeRoy Colombo was born on December 23, 1905, in Galveston, Texas. He is known for being a champion long-distance swimmer and being a lifeguard. A an early age, LeRoy Colombo was diagnosed with spinal meningitis, which caused him to lose his hearing and his ability to use his legs. He would regain his ability to use his legs because swimming, which started because his siblings repeatedly tried to make him swim. It was shortly after swimming for a while that his legs became strong enough to walk again. Because of this, LeRoy Colombo developed a love for water and swimming.
During a 40 year career as a lifeguard, he saved 907 lives during his career, which led to him being featured in the Guinness world of Records. The first person he saved was when he was 12 years old. The only reason he stopped being a lifeguard is because as he got older, he developed a heart condition. During his younger years he was in a competition with Johnny Weissmuller, a five time Olympic gold Medalist which resulted in a tie. During the competition, they were swimming up the Mississippi River, LeRoy Colombo would have won if he did not dislocate his shoulder. This is explained in an article about it: …show more content…
Colombo was reported to have dislocated a shoulder at the 8-mile mark, and he had to finish the race with one arm. He didn’t win, but then again, neither did another competitor, Johnny Weismuller, a five-time Olympic medalist who went on to fame in the “Tarzan”