Editor’s note: In the Colorado Classics series, The Denver Post takes a weekly look at individuals who made their mark on the Colorado sports landscape and what they are doing now.
Wally Hultin figures his illustrious record in swimming when he attended Denver East and George Washington high schools doesn’t need any help.
Considering he was unbeaten in three years of high school competition, it’s hard to argue with Hultin’s claim that his record can stand alone. Hultin claims his swimming résumé should show him with six individual state championships: two each in 1959, 1960 and 1961. However, Colorado High School Activities Association records show him with eight individual state championships.
It should be noted that Hultin swam in the infancy of the state swimming championships in Colorado, leaving the possibility the results were faulty and difficult to check.
“The first state championships were during my sophomore year at East,” Hultin said. “The dominant high school programs in those days were at East and South. Colorado Springs also had a good program. The way I remember it, we swam in two events at the state meet.”
Whether it’s six or eight individual championships, the number doesn’t alter Hultin’s place as the dominant high school swimmer of his day. His performances helped East to a co-state championship with Denver South in 1959. Then, with him leading the way, East won the state title in 1960 and George Washington won in 1961.
When Hultin was advancing through age-group swimming, there was barely enough swimming water in Denver to float a rowboat.
“We had a pool at Morey Junior High, the DAC, Fitzsimons (hospital), the University of Denver and a YMCA pool and that was about it,” Hultin said. “There really were only three or four pools in Denver that we could use regularly.”
Today, many high schools have their own swimming facilities. But when Hultin entered Denver East, none of the five Denver Prep League schools – East, South, North, West and Manual – had its own pool.
“All of the Denver high schools had to use the pool at Morey,” Hultin said. “Each school got to work out for an hour every other day, and the swimming meets were on Friday. I wasn’t able to swim at Morey until I got to high school.”
Hultin remembered that a pool at North High School opened for his junior year and the practice time for each Denver high school doubled that year.
After his first two years at East, Hultin switched to George Washington when it opened for the 1960-61 school year. Washington was one of three new high schools to open that year, joining Thomas Jefferson and Lincoln. All three of the new schools had pools.
“I had a lot of friends at East, but it was pretty exciting to be going to a brand-new school,” Hultin said. “A lot of the students at East ended up in Washington’s district, but my parents had moved there the years before it opened. We didn’t get to choose the school colors, but we got to pick the nickname. I think Patriots was my second choice. One of my classmates wrote the school fight song. It sounded a lot like Michigan’s.
“The thing I remember most about Washington was how good we were in all sports that first year. We went to the state finals in football and won the state championship in basketball and swimming.”
The change of schools meant that Hultin’s swimming uniforms went from the red and white of East to the green and white of Washington.
Hultin’s swimming career blossomed under his coaches. His first coach was Gene Mack, the resident coach at the Denver Athletic Club. After Mack got him through the age-group phase, he swam for Paul Vaughn at East and Lou Parker at Washington. Both are deceased.
After Washington, Hultin went to the University of Denver and swam for Tom Murphy.
“My career at DU wasn’t as distinguished as in high school,” Hultin said. “There were a lot of swimmers from California on the team. I won some events in dual meets and I swam on a relay team in the nationals at Yale one year. I was able to win the last race I swam at DU. It was a 100-yard butterfly.”
Hultin went to work for a national accounting firm when he left DU. After 12 years in the accounting business, he entered the real estate development business in Denver.
One of his pet projects occurred in 1980 when he and partner Dave French remodeled the Daniels and Fisher Tower on 16th Street, once the tallest structure in downtown Denver.
“We converted it into office condominiums,” Hultin said. “That’s the only landmark I’ve done.”
Hultin, 63, swam in masters competition for about 10 years, but now swims only occasionally and mainly when on vacation. He tried golf, but now is mainly into jogging.
“Practicing swimming is a lonely, thankless task,” Hultin said. “You just put your head down and do it. I’m not real sentimental about the past. I’m sure there are some regrets, but I don’t dwell on them. I feel as if I accomplished something in swimming, but compared to some other sports, it’s always looked at as a minor sport.”
Hultin learned of the pecking order on his first day at East. All of the athletes were taking physical examinations and Hultin had his first encounter with football coach Pat Panek.
“I was probably 6-foot, 175 pounds,” Hultin said. “Coach Panek came over and asked what sport I was going out for. I said swimming, and he lost interest immediately.”
Staff writer Irv Moss can be reached at 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
