Charles Wielgus

1950 - 2017

Charles "Chuck" Wielgus, age 67, of Colorado Springs, Colo., passed away on April 23 after battling cancer for the past 10 years. He spent 45 years working in sports administration, and for the past 20 years, was the Executive Director of USA Swimming in Colorado Springs, leading the organization to unparalleled growth and success.
He was born on February 6, 1950, in Hazardville, Conn., the son of Charles and Irene (nee Graham) Wielgus. His family eventually settled in Larchmont, New York. Chuck attended the Virginia Military Institute and then Providence College in Rhode Island, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 1972. He spent one year as the assistant athletic director for the Westchester County (N.Y.) Department of Parks & Recreation, before going back to Springfield College (Massachusetts) to earn his Master's degree in Education. While in graduate school, he worked at the National Basketball Hall of Fame.
After he graduated from Springfield, he became a coach and Recreation Director for the Township of Woodstock (Vermont) from 1974 to 1983. While there, he served as the director of the 1982 U.S. National Snowboarding Championships and served two terms as the President of the Vermont Parks & Recreation Association.
In 1983, Chuck moved to Hilton Head, S.C. and for six years was the Executive Director of the Hilton Head Island Recreation Association. He was the race director for the Bud Light U.S. Triathlon Series National Championships from 1985-87, and was the coordinator for the USA Basketball Women's World Championship Team training camp in 1986.
Chuck moved to Indianapolis, Ind. In 1989 to become the Executive Director for the U.S. Canoe and Kayak Team. He oversaw the entire organization and established an international event series to help promote the sport.
From 1996-1997, Chuck served as the Executive Director of the Senior PGA TOUR Tournament Association (now the PGA Tour Champion) in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., and was the primary communication liaison between the Senior PGA Tour and the PGA Tour headquarters staff.
He ultimately came to Colorado Springs in 1997 to lead USA Swimming. The organization won 156 medals at Olympic Games between 2000 and 2016, the most by any sport from any nation. He was the longest tenured executive director of any U.S. Olympic sport, and also served as the Chief Executive Officer of the USA Swimming Foundation since 2004.
In addition to his stellar career in sports administration, Chuck was also a published author of three books on basketball, including The In-Your-Face Basketball Book, co-authoring the books with Alex Wolff and Steve Rushin, both senior writers at Sports Illustrated. In 1981, Chuck and Alex appeared on The Today Show, interviewed by Bryant Gumbel.
He received numerous accolades throughout his career including: Man of the Year honors in 1989 by the Chamber of Commerce in Hilton Head Island; the Paragon Award in 2007 from the International Swimming Hall of Fame for contributions to competitive swimming; and the inaugural ACES Leadership Award in 2015 from the Association of Chief Executives in Sport. In November 2016, he was bestowed with an Honorary Doctorate from the U.S. Sports Academy in Daphne, Ala. Previous recipients were Prince Albert of Monaco, Billie Jean King, General Norman Schwarzkopf, Donna deVarona and Condoleezza Rice.
He is survived by his wife of 24 years, Nancy (nee Gipson); sons Chip (Kim) of Haverfood, Pa., and Tommy (Sarah Maguire) of Hatfield, Pa.; daughters Savannah and Shelby of Colorado Springs; his mother, Irene, of Larchmont, N.Y., a brother, Paul (Cindy) of Swansea, Mass.; a sister, Martie Negri (Art Nazzaro) of Mamaroneck, N.Y., and four grandchildren.
A celebration of life was held at the Penrose House Pavillion in Colorado Springs on May 10th.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Chuck's name to the USA Swimming Foundation, I Olympic Plaza, Colorado, Springs, Colo., 80909.