Sabir Muhammad is one of the most well-known African American swimmers for his achievements in the sport. Muhammad earned and accepted a full scholarship to swim for the Stanford Cardinal in 1994 and was the first African American to compete for the varsity men’s swim team.
Born in Louisville, KY in 1976, Sabir became the first African-American to qualify for the Pan Pacific Games. Muhammad graduated from Stanford as an Academic All-American with a degree in International Relations. Muhammad holds an MBA from Goizueta Business School at Emory University.
In 1998, Muhammad led Stanford to its 17th consecutive Pac 10 Championship and 8th NCAA Team Championship where he swam the fastest relay split ever in the 50 butterfly. Upon graduation, he collected seven Pac 10 titles, 25 All American honors and three NCAA, U. S. Open and American swim records.
In 2000, Muhammad competed in the Short Course World Championships, winning silver and bronze medals and becoming the first African American to win a medal at a major international swimming competition. He competed as a championship finalist at the 2000 Olympic Trials in the 100 meter freestyle and as a semi-finalist in the 50-meter free, unfortunately missing the cut to make the Olympic team.
In his career, Muhammad broke 10 American records, became a two time Short Course World Championship medalist, a four-time U. S. Open champion, a five-time World Cup Swimming champion and two-time runner-up at U. S. Nationals. In 2009, Muhammad made a comeback after years off and earned another National Team spot in the 50 freestyle during ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships.
Muhammad has been an advocate for swimming in multicultural communities for nearly 15 years. In 2003, Muhammad helped found a learn-to-swim program with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta that eventually became a pilot for USA Swimming’s Make a Splash Program in 2007.
***Information courtesy of Usaswimming.org**