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August 13, 2004 2:26 pm

Golden glory changed Spitz's life

By Vicki Michaelis

USA TODAY

Mark Spitz planned to go to dental school when he returned from the 1972 Olympics.

He never made it.

``Very few people can go to the Olympic Games and make a life of it for as long as I have,'' Spitz says.

The first sign of how dramatically his life would change after winning seven gold medals came on a flight from Los Angeles to Sacramento on his way back from the games. Unbeknownst to Spitz, reporters had booked the flight to talk to him.

The second sign came when his mom was cooking dinner. The phone rang for Spitz. It was someone wanting to talk about appearing on a Bob Hope special.

Weeks later, Spitz was in Los Angeles to do ``The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour'' when he went on his first blind date. It would be his last. He married Suzy in 1973, and 31 years later they're still together with two sons — Matthew, 22, and Justin, 12. They live in Los Angeles, where Spitz, now 54, works as a stockbroker and financial analyst.

He and Suzy were fixed up by a common friend of her father and Spitz's father, who were in the scrap iron and metal business. His future father-in-law knew who Spitz was and said at the time the date was proposed: ``My daughter can't stand to be fixed up. However, that's the kind of fixing-up I like to see.''

Suzy was a tougher sell. ``She was disinterested,'' Spitz says.

Spitz's accomplishment, which still stands as the gold medal high mark for an individual at one games, drew corporate interest unprecedented for an Olympic swimmer. He will be in Athens.

For sponsors or as a television commentator, Spitz has been at every Summer Olympics since '72 except for two. He didn't go to the 1980 Games, which were boycotted by the United States, or the 1988 Games, where swimmer Matt Biondi had the chance to win seven gold medals and came away with five gold, a silver and a bronze.

Spitz didn't talk to Biondi about his attempt before the '88 Olympics. He met Michael Phelps, who could win up to eight gold medals in Athens, last month at the U.S. Olympic trials. He wished him well.

``I think it's a great opportunity for Michael, it's a great opportunity for swimming, it's a great opportunity for the Olympics and it's a great opportunity for all of us to have someone to talk about, watch and certainly focus on,'' Spitz says.

Spitz still swims about three times a week with master swimmers at UCLA. Being in the water keeps the memory of what he did 32 years ago fresh in his mind.

``Seven gold medals is not an event, so it's really not a record,'' Spitz says.

``It was a journey of my career.''

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