Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1996
- Class:
- 1982
When Dr. Bob Saunders, the Marshall swimming coach, recruited high school All-American Brian Ihnen out of Plantation, Fla., he brought not only a record-setting butterfly specialist to the Thundering Herd, he also added a football standout, a bull rider and a circus clown – and they were all the same guy. With Ihnen in the pool, Marshall won Southern Conference titles all four years of his career from 1979 through 1982. Ihnen, who had taken up bull riding in high school, set Marshall records in the 100- and 200-yard butterfly events and the 200-yard individual medley. Among Ihnen’s highlights were a Southern Conference record-time of 1:57.91 in the 200-yard butterfly at the 1981 league title meet in Lexington, Va., when he became the first Marshall swimmer to break the two-minute mark in the event.
After graduating from Marshall, Ihnen attended the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College and performed with the circus, including an event that featured an appearance by President Ronald Reagan. “It was all fun and games, pretending to choke the President, until you see these big Secret Service guys coming at you,” Ihnen said. Ihnen later returned to his home state and has been a very successful high school swimming coach in Florida. He was inducted into the Marshall Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996.
