Notable Neighbor – Jim Montgomery

Notable Neighbor – Jim Montgomery

Swimmer, James Paul Montgomery, Olympic Gold medal winner resided at 8422 Garland Road in the early 1980s.

Montgomery competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games winning golds in the 100-meter freestyle, the 4×200 meter freestyle relay and the 4×100 meter medley relay with each an Olympic and World record time. He also won a bronze in the 200-meter freestyle.

After professional swimming Montgomery moved to Dallas, Texas, worked briefly in hotel management and then founded the Dallas Masters swim program in 1981. He later renamed it the Lone Star Masters and in 1990, the name officially became Baylor/Lone Star Masters while Jim was working as Aquatic’s Director at Baylor’s Tom Landry Center in Dallas. He began teaching swim lessons in 2007, including a class to help adults get past their fear of water.  He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1986 as an Honor Swimmer.  While continuing to coach at Dallas Aquatic Masters, he coached varsity swimming at the Greenhill School in Addison from 1999 -2015. In 2002, Jim was named U.S. Masters Swimming Coach of the Year. In 2015 he launched the Jim Montgomery Swim School on Preston Road.