Katherine Louise Rawls (June 14, 1917 – April 8, 1982), also known by her married names Katherine Thompson and Katherine Green, was an American competition swimmer and diver. She was the United States national champion in multiple events during the 1930s. She was a 1932 Olympic silver medalist in 3-metre springboard diving and in the 1936 Olympics repeated as a silver medalist on the 3-meter board, while capturing a bronze medal as part of the 4x100 freestyle relay team.
Swimming career
Rawls was born in Nashville, Tennessee to William and Sadie Rawls on June 14, 1917. She learned to swim at the age of two, in Saint Augustine, Florida, and took up diving at the age of seven in Tampa, from a 25-foot (7.6m) platform. During her swimming career she was known as Katy and nicknamed The Minnow. Her sisters Dorothy (Williams), and Evelyn (McKee), were also Florida state champion swimmers, and the siblings were known collectively as the "Rawls' Diving Trio". Together with sister Peggy (Wedgworth) and brother Sonny, a champion diver, the Ralings siblings went to junior contests and exhibitions, as "Rawls' Water Babies".
1931 U.S. Nationals
Rawls caused a sensation at the 1931 U.S. National Championships at just 14, when she defeated star Eleanor Holm in the 300m individual medley setting a new world record, and the next day defeated reigning champion Margaret Hoffman in the 220 yard breaststroke.
1932 Olympics
Rawls moved from Hollywood, Florida to Fort Lauderdale in 1932. She received sponsorship from Miami Beach to attend the trials for the 1932 Olympics, and was sometimes misidentified with that city. At the trials, she unexpectedly failed to qualify in the 200m-meter breaststroke: told by her coach to conserve her strength and aim for the third and last qualifying spot, she narrowly finished fourth. After her loss, she rowed across to the springboard diving, where she impressively beat champion Georgia Coleman in the trials. She scratched from the high diving because of high winds.
At the 1932 Olympics, Rawls competed in the 3 metre springboard diving event, and finished second to Georgia Coleman for the silver medal, losing to a rival she had recently beaten in the U.S. trials.
Rawls managed to beat Coleman at the National championships that September: one of four victories, the maximum then possible at one meet. She enjoyed sustained success thereafter, often competing in exhibition and carnival events, including a "swim decathlon" in 1934 before a crowd of 50,000, in which she won every event. By 1935, the New York Times considered her the favorite in seven of the nine events in the upcoming Nationals, depending on which she chose to compete in. Her best swimming events were the individual medley and the distance events, neither of which were Olympic events in the 1930s. (The medley used only three strokes: the butterfly stroke was not separated from the breaststroke until 1952.)
1936 Berlin Olympics
She succeeded in qualifying for the 100-meter freestyle in the U.S. trials for the 1936 Summer Olympics by winning the 100-meter event. After travelling to Berlin, however, in the intense international competition of the 100-meter Olympic finals, she finished seventh. Rawls won a bronze medal in the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay with the team of Bernice Lapp, Mavis Freeman and Olive McKean. In the 3-meter springboard diving competition, she captured the silver medal, suffering a highly unexpected defeat on the last dive, to teammate Marjorie Gestring, who was herself just 13. Subsequently, Rawls concentrated on swimming rather than diving.
In 1937, hours after disembarking at San Francisco after a swimming tour of Japan, she commenced a three-day streak at the Nationals which produced an unprecedented four individual swimming titles. For this she was named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year for 1937, and polled third for the James E. Sullivan Award. In 1938 she retained all four National titles. At the time she was holder of 18 national swimming records in breaststroke, freestyle, and medley events, and had been undefeated in medley races for eight years.
Rawls retired from swimming in 1939, but returned to diving for the trials of the 1948 Olympics, placing fifth with 108.56 points. Second of the three qualifiers was eventual gold medalist Victoria Draves with a score of 111.14, and Marjorie Gestring fourth with a score of 110.67.
U.S. National championships
Rawls in 1938.
Rawls won a total of 33 U.S. national titles: 5 in diving and 28 in swimming, both indoors at the Spring Nationals and outdoors at the Summer Nationals.
1931 Summer: 1st in 300m medley, 220yd breaststroke; 2nd in springboard diving
In November 1937, Rawls' parents announced her engagement to advertising executive William Starr. On May 18, 1938, unbeknown to her mother, Rawls married Theodore H. Thompson, an airplane pilot. Subsequent to the marriage, she began work at the Thompson School of Aviation in Fort Lauderdale, having qualified as a pilot during her swimming career. While continuing to swim at exhibitions, she decided to forgo competition at the 1939 Nationals, and retired from swimming when the 1940 Olympics were cancelled due to World War II. She was one of the initial 28 pilots who formed the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron in 1942, stationed at Detroit, transporting military cargo by air as part of the U.S. war effort. In 1943, her husband reportedly sued her for divorce, but dropped the charges anticipating her return from Detroit to his farm in Florida.
In 1965, she was one of the inaugural inductees to the International Swimming Hall of Fame, and officially opened its pool in Fort Lauderdale, near the former Casino Pool where she had trained in the 1930s.
She died from cancer in 1982 after several years of illness.
↑Birthdate June 14, 1917 is listed in the Social Security Death Index; June 28, 1917 is given by Burghard in Time, 1935 (see below); June 14, 1918 is given by Ralph Hickok Archived October 5, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
↑"FHSAA Girls Swimming & Diving Championship Records"(PDF). Florida High School Athletic Association. p.6. Archived from the original(PDF) on February 29, 2008. Retrieved September 7, 2007. Most Individual Titles, Career: 14–Katherine Rawls,... 11–Dorothy Rawls,...11–Evelyn Rawls
12"At Jones Beach". Time. July 31, 1933. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved September 7, 2007. Katherine Rawls ... ran off with the loft. spring board diving title ... broke her own world's record in the 300-meter medley championship, barely missed regaining her 220-yd. breast stroke title ... Minnow Rawls, whose three little sisters and one little brother are all swimming champions of some sort
12"Salt Water Sorority". Time. July 29, 1935. Archived from the original on December 22, 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2007. list of champions: ... 220-yd. breast stroke—Katherine Rawls 300-metre medley—Katherine Rawls ... Familiar to rotogravure readers are the Rawls sisters—Katherine (18), Evelyn (16), Dorothy (15), Peggy (10). Evelyn last week finished third in the free-style mile, fourth in the medley. Dorothy was fourth in the 220-yd. breast stroke.
12"Swimmers". Time. July 27, 1931. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved September 6, 2007.
12
Handley, L. de B. (July 18, 1931). "MISS HOLM BEATEN IN U.S. SWIM UPSET". New York Times. p.14. Loses in 300-Meter Medley as Miss Rawls, 14, Clips 4 Seconds Off World's Mark. WINNER'S TIME IS 4:45 4–5...Miss Katherine Rawls, 14-year-old lassie of Hollywood, Fla
↑FHSAA Girls Swimming & Diving Championship Record, p. 6: "14––Katherine Rawls, Hollywood, 75 IM 1931; 100 breast 1931; Diving 1931; Fort Lauderdale, 50 back 1933, 1935; 75 IM 1932, 1933; 100 free 1934; 150 free 1934; 100 breast 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935; Diving 1935." The International Swimming Hall of Fame misprints this as 1933 ("Her first grand slam came in 1933, the year she moved to Fort Lauderdale": Her first grand slam was also in 1932.)
12"MISS RAWLS TAKES FOURTH SWIM TITLE". New York Times. Associated Press. September 11, 1932. p.S2. ALSO WINS IN 10-FOOT DIVE Scores 94.40 to Beat Miss Poynton, Olympic Champion
12"Females in Water". Time. April 22, 1935. Archived from the original on December 22, 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2007. This year she decided not to defend her diving championship, to try for a clean sweep in four swimming events, the most any contestant is allowed to enter ... The three she won were 100-yd. freestyle, 300-yd. medley, 100-yd. breaststroke ... The one she lost was the 220-yd. freestyle
↑"Who Won". Time. May 1, 1933. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved September 7, 2007. Katherine ("Minnow") Rawls, 15, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.: championships in lowboard diving and the 300-yd. medley swim, with a new world's record of 4:14.4; at the Women's National A. A. U. Championships, in Buffalo, New York.
↑"Ladies in the Pool". Time. April 23, 1934. Archived from the original on April 29, 2007. Retrieved September 7, 2007. Individual titles: 300-yd. medley — Katherine Rawls ... Low-board dive—Katherine Rawls .... In the highboard dive, Minnow Rawls placed second
↑"Daughters' Girl". Time. August 6, 1934. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved September 7, 2007. Individual titles: ... 3-meter springboard diving: Katherine Rawls ... 300-meter medley: Katherine Rawls
↑"MISS RAWLS SETS NEW SWIM RECORD". New York Times. Associated Press. April 2, 1936. p.35 (Sports). Retrieved September 5, 2007. Breaks Own U.S. Mark in the 300-Yard Medley, Winning Event in 4:06.3.
12"MISS RAWLS BEATS OWN MEET RECORD". New York Times. April 16, 1937. p.32. Retrieved September 5, 2007. Katherine Rawls ... successfully defended her women's national indoor A. A. U. 100-yard breast-stroke title tonight and set a new record in doing it.
↑Vinson, Maribel Y. (June 27, 1936). "MISS RAWLS KEEPS A.A.U. SWIM TITLE;". New York Times. p.10 (Sports). Retrieved September 7, 2007. Takes 300-Meter Medley for Sixth Successive Year at National Championships.
↑"Misses Brennan, Forbes Also Win A. A. U. Tests". New York Times. April 18, 1937. p.1 (Sports). Retrieved September 5, 2007. Elizabeth Brennan ... winning the 500yard free-style championship by three yards from Miami Beach's Miss Katherine Rawls.
12"Who Won". Time. August 1, 1938. Archived from the original on August 26, 2010. Retrieved September 7, 2007. Katherine Rawls Thompson of Miami Beach: four swimming events (300-metre medley, 440-yd., 880-yd. and one-mile free style) in the women's national outdoor championships; for the second year in a row; finishing three of them in world-record-breaking time; at Santa Barbara, Calif.
↑"MISS RAWLS KEEPS LAURELS IN SWIM". New York Times. September 5, 1937. p.51 (Sports). Retrieved September 5, 2007. Takes National A. A. U. Medley Title for Seventh Time
↑"MISS RAWLS TAKES THIRD SWIM TITLE". New York Times. September 6, 1937. Retrieved September 5, 2007. Gains National A. A. U. 440Yard Free-Style Honors in Meet on Coast
↑"MISS RAWLS BREAKS MARK IN TITLE SWIM". New York Times. May 2, 1938. p.20. Retrieved September 5, 2007. Katherine Rawls ... had to break a national record and tie another to retain her titles in the 300-yard individual medley race and the 100-yard breast-stroke in the 1938 women's national swimming championships tonight.
↑"KATHERINE RAWLS'S TROTH". New York Times. November 22, 1937. p.16. Swimming Star to Be Bride of William Starr of Florida
↑"KATHERINE RAWLS WED". New York Times. May 22, 1938. p.40. Swimming Star Becomes Bride of T. H. Thompson, Aviator...Mrs. W. J. Rawls, the swimmer's mother, said that Katherine told her of the marriage by long distance telephone.
Nason, Jerry (1977) [1939]. "VII: Katherine Rawls: Little Miss Minnow". In Harold Kaese (ed.). Famous American Athletes of Today (Sixth Seriesed.). Ayer. ISBN0-8369-2233-6.
