Ron Orr: The Innovator Behind 'Swim with Mike': A Scholarship Fund for Physically Challenged Athletes

December 7, 2007

Ron Orr joined the USC family as a student and graduated in 1978 with a degree in marketing and management. A six-time USC All-American swimmer, Ron placed second in the 1650-yard freestyle race during the 1975 and 1976 NCAA meets and once held the school record for the same race. After graduation, Ron continued his talents in the pool as the assistant swim coach at USC for two years. From 1979 to 1983 Ron worked as the associate director of USC's annual giving office and spent a year-and-a-half with the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, he was the venue manager of all swimming, diving, and synchronized swimming events at USC's Olympic Swim Stadium during the 1984 games. After his term as venue manager he joined the USC athletic development office in 1984 as assistant athletic director. In 1993 he was promoted to senior assistant athletic director and earned another promotion to associate athletic director in August of 1995.

As the creator of "Swim with Mike,' a fundraising swim-a-thon, Ron has overseen the accrual of $7.4 million in scholarship funds for physically challenged athletes, 69 student athletes have received scholarships at universities throughout the country. Ron received the President's Award for Staff Achievement at USC in 1992 and is a noted national speaker on alcohol and drug education.

Ron sat down with us and chatted about Swim with Mike, here's what he had to say:

Help us understand what you are up to (Describe your work / research):
Swim With Mike is an annual fundraising event that generates funds for physically challenged athletes. Inspired by USC alum Mike Nyeholt, who was an All-American swimmer before being paralyzed in a motorcycle accident, Swim With mike helps physically challenged athletes overcome barriers.

What drives you to continue pursuing this area of study?
The aim is to provide financial resources for advanced education that pave the way for physically challenged athletes to overcome personal tragedies and realize their full potential.

Describe how your work might impact people's lives, now and in the future. (What's the potential societal impact?)
Encouraging an active lifestyle and promoting positive self-esteem, the Swim With Mike program hopes to empower recipients to achieve self-sufficiency while defining and refocusing their lives, ultimately rediscovering who they are and what they can accomplish.

How did you come up with the idea?
The "Swim For Mike" started as a one time event to help my teammate Mike Nyeholt and allow his friends to get into action and do something to help him.

Has anyone ever doubted that your idea could work? (Please elaborate.)
The only doubters we had were those who were not aware of the need for education for physically challenged athletes.

What is the next step in the innovation process for you (and how might people help)?
The next step is to continue to grow and have "Swim With Mike" events at more universities. As we raise more funds more students will benefit. In addition, it is important to grow our endowment to secure our legacy of the scholarship.

What mistake taught you the most?
The biggest mistake we made was investing in a recipient that did not take full advantage of our scholarship and dropped out before completing a degree. These recipients did not fit our criteria. This happened to 2 of our 70 recipients. In addition, we needed to create better recipient alumni so they can be better mentors to our current recipients.

What is the one innovation you can't live without?
One innovation we could not live without is the Trojan Family.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?
People may be surprised to learn we are a volunteer organization with no full time employees.

What do you wish you would have invented?
A cure for paralysis.

Any tips for aspiring innovators?
Never give up on your passion.

Email or phone?
Email seems to work the fastest and most efficient for getting back to people. Phone has more personality.

What is the most fun you've ever had?
The most fun I even had was my experience with the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee as the venue direction for the swimming events at USC.

Three favorite things about LA:

1. Close to the ocean
2. Palm Springs
3. USC