Grinnell College Athletics

David Malbrough ’35 was not a fan of losing. The Pioneer swimmer never lost a backstroke race in his four years at Grinnell and lost only one of his races during his senior year. With winning usually comes records, and Malbrough set Midwest Conference records in the 150-yard backstroke, 220 freestyle, and 100 backstroke. After Grinnell he continued to dominate in the pool for most of his life. He was a frequent U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS) national champion and was a 33-time USMS All-American between 1994 and 2001. In the 1998 YMCA Nationals, he broke the record for age 85-plus in the 50-yard backstroke and the 500 freestyle. Malbrough’s swimming longevity was quite noteworthy, as he was featured in SWIM Magazine for being on one of the oldest relay teams in swimming history. Away from the pool, he graduated from Grinnell with a degree in business administration, holding a variety of jobs, ranging from sales director for the Boy Scouts of America to forming his own business, Malbrough Enterprises, a gift and gourmet accessory shop. He also gave back to Grinnell by serving as the alumni director at the College from 1954 to 1955; he won an Alumni Award in 1970. He died in 2001.