Brad Procton's passion for swimming began when he started swimming competitively in 1963 at age 6. Years later, he would become an All-American at Johns Hopkins University, swimming on three NCAA championship teams.
However, swimming means more to Procton than just accolades; it helped save his life. At age 10, Procton was hit by a car in Greensboro, North Carolina, causing him to lose vision in his left eye. The accident fractured both his orbital bones and broke his shoulder and jaw. He also lost his sense of smell. Procton credits swimming with his recovery. It taught him how to be a fighter and sharpened his competitive focus.
"I'm extraordinarily lucky, frankly, to be alive," says Procton, a 1979 graduate of the Krieger School. "The day I got back in the water was a huge day for me. There's a lot of drive that came from that accident. It put me in a position to swim well, attend Hopkins, graduate, and move on with my life."
Since his graduation from Hopkins, Procton, a retired businessman, has remained connected to the Blue Jay men's and women's swimming programs. Most recently, he made a significant gift to support the renovation of the natatorium in the Newton White Athletic Center, home to the Johns Hopkins water polo and swimming teams.
The renovations include installing a Myrtha tank—the fastest technology in the world for pools, says Scott Armstrong, Johns Hopkins head men's and women's swimming coach. In competitive swimming, a "fast" pool design enables swimmers to perform to the best of their abilities. For instance, the new design will bring the water level up to the deck height and have rim flow gutters, creating less tumultuous water.
"Brad is extremely generous to the swimming programs. This gift is incredible. It allows us to make much-needed improvements to the pool," says Armstrong, A&S '03. "The surface of the water will be much smoother, which is much faster."
The renovations are scheduled to begin in April 2025 and will also feature a new audio system, pool floor, lighting, starting blocks, and wave-eating lane lines. Procton and Armstrong have worked together for the past five years to execute their combined vision, and throughout that time, Procton has gotten to know the scholar-athletes.
"This project is all about the extraordinary students," Procton says. "There is pride in swimming in a fast, modern pool. These new additions will not only impact the swimmers, they will affect the crowd. Everything about this production design is to enhance the environment."
The scholar-athletes are "overjoyed," Armstrong says. His teams have overcome obstacles, from the pandemic to facility issues. For a season, the pool did not have a bulkhead, a structure that can divide a pool into different sections, an omission that prevented athletes from swimming in a proper-length pool. Armstrong underscores how the upcoming renovations to the facility will bring a sense of stability, knowing his scholar-athletes will have a secure, consistently fast pool to practice and compete in.
"It cannot be overstated how much Brad has driven these improvements for us," he says. "It's a testament to him."
When Procton reflects on his own swimming journey at Hopkins, he recalls the thrilling experiences of winning the 1977, '78, and '79 national championships with his teammates.
"The chemistry we had on those three national championship teams was very, very special," Procton says. "It wasn't until later on in life I realized all the things I gained from the combination of swimming and Hopkins."
Although construction is still a few months away, Procton hopes he can assist with more renovations in the future. But for now, he's already looking forward to the 2025 swim meets.
"We're going to turn those lights on. We're going to crank that audio system up, and we're going to blow people away," he says. "My reward is to see the scholar-athletes graduate and do remarkable things."
It's all about creating a Hopkins family.
"There is so much affinity our alums have for our program and the experience they had," Armstrong says. "The continuation of support we receive from our alumni on a regular basis is special."
The Hopkins Pool Renovation Project officially launched on June 5, 2024. To support the $2.5 million campaign, contact Stephanie Littleton at slittleton@ jhu.edu.
