Boggs, Phil

▪ American athlete

born Dec. 29, 1949, Akron, Ohio, U.S.

died July 4, 1990, Miami, Fla.

      American diver who won a gold medal in springboard diving at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.

      After competing at Florida State University (1967–71), Boggs enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. While in the service, he continued diving, winning the world springboard championships in 1973 and 1975. He had attained the rank of captain when he won the gold medal at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. He left the service shortly thereafter to pursue a legal career. While attending law school, Boggs won the 1978 world springboard championships in West Berlin (now Berlin); he also trained for the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow but was prevented from participating by the U.S. boycott. In addition to his Olympic and world championship victories, he also won nine U.S. national titles.

      Boggs later served as the president of United States Diving (1980–84), a national governing body.

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