Tom Hetzel from Texas was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 1980 due to his illustrious career spanning the English Channel and professional marathon swims.

From 1968 to 1972, Tom was an internationally ranked marathon swimmer and swam the English Channel eight times as a solo swimmer in addition to serving as captain for six relay crossings that set three new records. He also swam the famously competitive 34K (21-mile) Traversée internationale du Lac St-Jean professional race in Canada, the 32K Aswan High Dam pro race, 48.2K (30 miles) in Baja California, and 48.2K (30 miles) from Point Lookout in New York.

He also completed twelve circumnavigations of Manhattan Island and coached Doc Counsilman on his English Channel swim.

In a belated ceremony, Tom will be honored in New York at the United Nations Building on June 19th as part of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.

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