Grinnell College Athletics

Brian Ross '82 played club water polo at Grinnell, as well as competing on the swimming and diving and outdoor track teams. The Hall of Fame honors Ross for his performances in the pool. He is an eight-time individual Midwest Conference champion, and a member of six conference champion relay teams. At Grinnell, Ross held seven individual swimming records, including all six freestyle events (50-, 100-, 200-, 500-, 1,000-, and 1,650-yard); he also shared three school relay records. He qualified for Division III Nationals in three individual events for four years; he qualified five more times as part of a relay team for a career total of 17 nationally qualifying times. Ross was named Most Valuable Swimmer two years; he also won the Freshman Male Athlete of the Year Award and the Morgan Taylor Award for most valuable athlete in 1982. After graduating, Ross switched to land sports and became a marathon runner. One of his highlights of his running career was participating in the New York Marathon and defeating 22,000 people. Ross completed six marathons before "coming to my senses" and turning to golf. He now participates in the annual Edd Bowers Rockport (Texas) Grinnell Alumni Golf Tournament, where he has been undefeated seven years running for the Most Unbelievably Bad Score Award. Outside of athletics, Ross has owned his own consulting firm for the last 13 years and has written several guidebooks for local governments on incorporating the principles of sustainable development. Ross has also spent the last 20 years working on behalf of energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives through advocacy, program management, and expert testimony. Ross currently lives in Minneapolis, Minn., with his wife and two children, where he co-owns an urban and regional planning consulting firm.