Don’t know how we missed this one. Actually, I do - we were on vacation. But another collegiate swimmer has come out of the closet publicly, this time UMBC junior Fred Deal. UMBC, for those who don’t know, is University of Maryland Baltimore County (believe it or not, their basketball team was in the NCAA tournament this year). What makes his story a bit unique? He’s dating a teammate.
“Towards the end of my sophomore year I started dating one of the guys (pictured on left) on the team and we are still together. The other guys on the team think it’s good and don’t give us any trouble. My coaches are also very open and accepting to people on the team which makes it a great atmosphere to be in.”
While it’s starting to seem like every collegiate swim team must have a gay guy on it, it’s still nice to see these guys and gals taking a stand.
Some other collegiate swimmers who have come out recently:
- Andrew Langenfeld, Purdue University
- Scott Jordan, St. Bonaventure University
- Sean Smith, Rutgers University
You can check out Fred’s gay.com profile here. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
on Jul 22nd, 2008 at 3:32 am
Congrats Man! Be Happy…Be U.
From a guy that grew up in Arbutus!
-Rich
on Jul 23rd, 2008 at 1:51 pm
OUTSTANDING, AN BEST WISHES. ONCE IT’S DONE YOU WONDER WHY YOU WAITED SO LONG…………………………
on Aug 28th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
i am a gay D1 athlete that just graduated from college…still in the closet with mostly everyone except two guys from the team. i give this guy a lot of credit cuz i wish i could have done that.
i agree with daniel…after u say something, u wonder why u wait so long…but getting over that hump/going to the unknown is scary…i’m still trying to get there.
on Oct 5th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
I think this is a great thing, another swimmer is being true to himself and facing the fact that he is naturally attracted to members of his own sex. I give this man a lot of credit for coming out to his swim team. It is also great to see fellow teammates being supportive of him and this is what is needed more in the sports world. Sports are for everyone, not just for straights.