BThey are tossed aside in drawers and closets, the trappings of
nearly 50 years in collegiate and international swimming. Watches
from his 13 Big Ten Championship teams. Watches and rings from the
past five Summer Olympic Games, where he served as an assistant
coach for USA Swimming. The 1995 NCAA Championship ring,
significantly gaudier than its 1961 counterpart not far away.

This is just a sampling of Jon Urbanchek’s treasure trove,
which he does not showcase for visitors at his home. Some pieces of
memorabilia have, in fact, been misplaced. This seemingly
indifferent attitude towards his accomplishments appears
incomprehensible, yet Urbanchek’s philosophy is simple.

“The awards will all tarnish with age,” he says.
“But the memories will remain vivid throughout the
years.”

The memories — there are so many of them. Urbanchek will
end his 22-year run as the head coach of the men’s swimming
and diving team after this summer’s Olympics, but he has
already begun to delve back into his past. It’s an emotional
task that occasionally brings tears to his eyes. While his
recollections are fuzzy in some places — “My memory is
not that good anymore” — he does remember certain
stories remarkably well. Urbanchek’s efforts to recall his
past reveal a fascinating history of ups and downs.

‘The 100 dollar latte’

A cult has developed among Urbanchek’s current and former
swimmers, who relish retelling lighthearted stories about his
quirky and endearing habits.

Foremost among them are his penchant for getting into trouble
while driving and his addiction to coffee.

There was the time in Colorado Springs when Urbanchek was pulled
over for doing roughly double the speed limit on his way back from
Starbucks —“The $100 latte,” assistant coach Eric
Namesnik calls the incident.

Or the time he received a ticket for parking in a handicap space
to run in for a quick cappuccino.

Former Wolverine Tom Malchow, who owns gold and silver medals
from the past two Olympics, is well-versed in Urbanchek’s
caffeinated history.

“He spends so much money on coffee,” says Malchow,
one of Urbanchek’s 28 Olympians. “It’s probably
the reason he didn’t retire four years ago.”

It did not take sophomore Davis Tarwater long to realize this
fact.

“He usually comes back before finals at night with about
15 cups of coffee, but nobody ever wants to drink it. ‘Who
needs a cappuccino?’ is his favorite line.”

Senior captain Dan Ketchum says Urbanchek’s annual
Christmas present from the team is a $10 gift certificate to
Starbucks.

The driving stories are equally amusing. Urbanchek once got lost
on the wrong side of the Charles River in Boston for hours. He made
a U-turn and drove the wrong way on a one-way street during a
parade in Florida. He has been chased by police officers and he has
aroused road rage from California to Texas to New Jersey. And all
this with his terrified swimmers sitting in the car next to
him.

Ketchum remembers what Urbanchek would do when the team
approached a state in which the coach’s license was
suspended.

“We would always conveniently stop at the border,”
Ketchum says, noting that Urbanchek would then make a suggestion
for somebody to take over the driving for him. “He would
never tell anybody that he couldn’t drive in (the
state).”

“I’m very cautious when I’m with the
team,” Urbanchek says in his own defense. “I’ve
got a lot of points (on my record).”

Brent Lang, who swam at Michigan from 1987-90 and won a gold
medal at the 1988 Olympics, sees his former coach’s
periodically less-than-ideal behavior as a positive.

“He was just a human being like we were,” Lang says.
“If we had faults, so did he.”

Namesnik, the owner of silver medals from the 1992 and 1996
Olympics, is amazed at his colleague’s ability to weasel his
way out of serious trouble.

“Jon’s got dumb luck,” he says. “It all
works out in the end.”

Urbanchizzle

Urbanchek’s peculiarities don’t stop at speeding
tickets and cappuccinos. Though he has been described by those who
know him as somebody who enjoys “classical music and
oldies,” former Michigan swimmer and two-time Olympic gold
medalist Tom Dolan remembers Urbanchek taking to a slightly
different genre.