It had been years since Bill Hanzlik had worn his Hopkins Eisenhower letter jacket from the 1970s, yet he knew exactly where to find it.
After trying the jacket on in front of a mirror, he was pleased to see how well it still fit. And he knew then that he would wear the sacred coat to a reunion honoring Eisenhower’s four-time state swimming and diving champs (1974-77) June 30 at Hopkins Pavilion.
The jacket was basic, certainly simple by today’s standards. There were no chevrons on the sleeves for All-Lake Conference and All-State awards or patches for the All-American awards Hanzlik had won. There wasn’t even a swimmer’s patch on the sleeve. And none of the championships that the Hanzlik brothers had won in the 1970s were shown on the jacket.
Head coach Gary Grey and diving coach Mel Jacobson were pleased to see Hanzlik wearing the Eisenhower jacket and noticed that there wasn’t even a graduation year chevron on the sleeve.
Hanzlik explained why: “All four Hanzlik brothers swam for Eisenhower and we all wore the same letter jacket,” he said. “I was the first, then came Jim, Rich and Ed.”
All four of the Hanzliks were dedicates swimmers, who worked hard to perfect their strokes.
“Everyone on the team back then lived in the pool,” Jim Hanzlik said. “And we all supported each other. Everyone remembers the two-a-day workouts. One time we even had a practice right after a dual meet.”
The string of championships from 1974-77 continued a tradition (three state titles) that was started by former head coach Bob Johnson.
Bill Hanzlik was on Johnson’s squad as a freshman when the Warriors won their third state championship in 1970. Unfortunately, he was not fast enough to qualify for state that year, but he made up for it the next three years.
“I credit Bob Johnson for changing me from a rock to a champion,” Bill said. “He encouraged me to prove what I set out to do.”
One of Bill’s biggest thrills was winning the 400-yard freestyle relay state championship as a junior in 1972. Also on that relay were Bill Knoblauch, Jim Pohle and freshman Jim Hanzlik. By the time Jim graduated in 1975, he had additional state titles and All-American awards and two state team titles.
Todd Johnson, a key man on the 1974 and 1975 state championship teams, said, “We had a great group of guys on the team.”
Todd swam on the Warriors’ state-champion 200-yard individual medley in 1975 to close out his senior season in style. “We got touched out in the same relay in 1974,” he said. “But we did have an All-American time that year,” Johnson said. “Gary Grey and Mel Jacobson were great coaches. “Gary worked us hard and Mel was the psychologist, who kept us level.”
Grey was a student of swimming and found ways to help every swimmer. He convinced Bill Carstens to try a flip turn in the 100-yard butterfly. That cut half a second off of Carstens’ time and made him an All-American as the state champion in 1974.
The Eisenhower pool was a place to gather every day, and even though it was basically “a work room,” the boys always had fun with swimming.
“The old pool was dark and steamy, but we loved being there,” Jim Hanzlik said.
Rich Hanzlik is proud to be one of four brothers from his family to add to the glory of Hopkins Eisenhower swimming. “There were eight of us in my senior class, and we were all great friends.”
Coach Grey was so proud to have coached all four Hanzliks that he gave them the starting block from Lane 3 at the old pool when Ed graduated. “We have had it up at the cabin for a long time,” Rich said.
At the June 30 reunion, coach Grey was pleased to note that his “boys” are in good shape.
Some of them went on to swim in college. Others were happy to bow out at champion high school swimmers.
“At the end of my senior year, I had accomplished everything I set out to accomplish in swimming,” Todd Johnson said.
The reunion attracted Warrior swimmer and divers from far and wide. “We have guys scattered all over the country,” Jim Hanzlik said.
“This is a great event,” Bill Hanzlik said. “I had not seen Bill Knoblauch in almost 50 years. My success in swimming came from having great coaches - first Bob Johnson, then Gary Grey. They were a lot alike. I know I put in more yards with Gary. Even during Christmas vacation, we practiced twice a day.”
Hopkins is no longer a Lake Conference swimming power, as their place on the awards podium at state has been taken over by conference rivals Edina, Minnetonka and Eden Prairie. But the work ethic in the Hopkins pool is still there.
Coach Grey and coach Jacobson beamed with pride as they watched so many of their athletes walk through the doors to celebrate the 1970s glory era.
Grey was the swimming director at the St. Paul Tennis Club for almost 40 years. Jacobson, who retired from coaching Hopkins divers for 35 years, is a master potter and the author of seven books. His most famous Hopkins diver, Craig Lincoln, won the bronze medal in the Olympic Games.
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