Former Woodbridge High standout swimmer Chad Hundeby, who became a renowned competitor in open water events, died at age 50 on Saturday, June 12, his brother, Coleman said.
The Tustin resident suffered an apparent heart attack, his brother said.
Coleman said the sudden loss of his brother — a husband and father of three boys — was shocking but his record-setting swimming career left a legacy.
“He was a very, very humble person,” said Coleman, who swam with his brother at Woodbridge. “He didn’t do things for (personal) recognition.”
Hundeby won six CIF Southern Section individual titles in the late 1980s — three in the 200-yard freestyle and three in the 500 freestyle — and led the Warriors to the CIF Division 2AA title as a senior in 1989. From 1987-89, his times in the 200 and 500 free were the fastest in any division at CIF.
“He would just annihilate people,” former Woodbridge coach Pat Bangs said. “He won everything.”
Hundeby swam at SMU but was best known for his long races in open water.
In 1991, he captured the 25K at the FINA World Championships, racing on the Swan River in Perth, Australia. In 1994, he set a then world record for swimming the English Channel in a time of seven hours, 17 minutes.
Hundeby also set a record for swimming the Catalina Channel in eight hours and 14 minutes.
“He really fell in love with marathon swimming,” said Johnny Johnson of Blue Buoy Swim School in Tustin, who taught Hundeby how to swim at age 3. “The water is where he wanted to be.”
Hundeby was named U.S. open water swimmer of the year in 1991, 1993 and 1994, long before the discipline was added to the Olympic lineup. He was elected to the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2012.
Johnson said he recently talked to Hundeby at the Tustin High swimming awards. Hundeby’s son Anders recently finished a strong senior season racing for the Tillers, setting the school record in the 200-yard individual medley.
“What a shocker,” Johnson said of Hundeby’s death. “Everything seemed so great.”
Hundeby, who worked as a teacher, is survived by his wife, Jean Marie, sons Anders, Hayden, and Marcus, brother, Coleman, and parents Ted and Jan of Irvine. Funeral arrangements are pending, Coleman said.
