Catching Up With: Tom DeLong

Steve Virgen

With the way Tom DeLong maintains a busy schedule, it appears

someone forgot to tell him he’s retired.

De Long, who has been living in the same home in Costa Mesa since

1965, ended his marvelous 27-year swim coaching career at Foothill High

in 1993 and retired as a successful teacher at Foothill in 1998. But, if

you can catch up with him today, it’s as if the man is still in

championship form.

“I’m a young 64,” said DeLong, who still teaches swimming for friends

and family. “I keep my finger wet.”

He also helps children latch on to the lifeguard programs in Newport

Beach and Huntington Beach. DeLong, a Long Beach Poly High alumnus,

worked as a Long Beach lifeguard for 11 summers.

With his busy schedule, it’s as if DeLong had to retire in order to

finish other jobs.

For starters, DeLong is remodeling the backyard of his home, where he

and Clara, his wife of 39 years, display and cherish values of

yesteryear: family, hard work and Southern California sunshine.

DeLong calls the backyard work, a full-time job, which has him

sometimes pulling 14-hour days when he re-tiles the pool.

“I started this work in January,” DeLong said. “And, my goal is to

finish it by June.”

Then there’s the fun part of DeLong’s life: four grandchildren.

“They are the light of my life,” he said.

He has fun with every one of them, including Evan, 7, Owen, 5, Anika,

4, and Eli, who will be 2 in August.

When there’s a rare break in the action, DeLong and his wife also

travel in their motor-home. And, to fulfill DeLong’s competitive juices,

he enters catamaran races. In two weeks, he will compete in the Cachuma

Challenge in Lake Cachuma.

DeLong also takes to the greens and enjoys golf. He played with the

Long Beach Lifeguard alumni Thursday in a special tournament.

This week, DeLong is trying to make time to attend the CIF Southern

Section Swim Finals. He also tries to take in prep water polo games.

Aside from all those activities, DeLong also enjoys the simple

pleasures of his life. He does find to time rest. And, he takes pride in

his wife’s career as a teacher.

“She’s teaching second grade now at Woodland Elementary and she’s been

a teacher in the Newport-Mesa District for the past 39 years (37 years as

a first-grade teacher),” DeLong said. “You can’t believe the number of

kids that she’s had that end up playing water polo. It seems like every

time we pick up the paper, it’s one of her former kids in a water polo

game.”

DeLong knows plenty about water polo. He started the boys and girls

programs at Foothill, which have become the elite of Orange County.

He also built success of legendary proportions in swimming at Foothill

High.

His boys teams won five CIF titles, six CIF relay championships and 22

league crowns. He compiled a 244-28-4 dual-meet record, and during one

stretch in the 1970’s the Knights reeled off 103 consecutive dual-meet

wins.

DeLong was named California Swim Coach of the Year in 1976 and in his

school district, he was named Teacher of the Year in 1994.

DeLong mentored 54 high school All-Americans, including three

Olympians all of whom were medal winners, Steve and Bruce Furniss, and

Rod Strachan.

Strachan won the gold medal in the 400-meter individual medley in 1976

in Montreal, while Bruce Furniss won the gold medal in the 200 freestyle,

and the gold in the 800 free relay. In 1972, Steve Furniss won the bronze

medal in the 200 IM.

DeLong, who also created the Foothill Swim Games, a popular

invitational meet, built a winner with his girls swim teams at Foothill.

“They started in 1976; they won 16 league championships and compiled a

158-7 record in dual meets, between 1976 and 1993,” DeLong said. “It goes

on and on and on with the memories at Foothill. I was there 33 years.

They wanted me to move over to Tustin. But, if I get cut I bleed black

and gold.

“We had some great competition with Newport Harbor and Corona del

Mar,” DeLong continued, while reminiscing. “I did both water polo and

swimming and did that for several years. I focused mainly on the

swimming.”

DeLong also started the So Cal Aquatics swim club in 1966, which is

still competing, and teaching new swimmers today.