Ian MacIntosh Black (born 27 June 1941) is a Scottish former swimmer. He was BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1958 at the age of only seventeen and is still to this date the youngest winner of the award. He achieved this phenomenal feat by winning gold medals in three separate events at the European Championships in Budapest, competing as an adult.
In the same year he also won gold and silver medals for Scotland at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff; gold in the 220 yards butterfly, silver in the 440 yards freestyle and silver in the 4×220 yards freestyle relay.
In 1960 he represented Great Britain in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. In the final of the 200m butterfly he was placed 4th., posting the same time as the bronze medalist. He was a member of the 4x200m freestyle relay team which was also placed 4th.
He holds certain age-related British records to this day.
When competing for Great Britain, he would proudly display his Scottish identity by wearing a MacGregor tartan dressing gown poolside. As well as excelling in the water, he was also a formidable rugby union player.
He is a member of the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame.
In the late 70s he became Headteacher of Seafield Primary School in Elgin. He taught in Canada and he became headmaster of St Christopher's prep school in Bahrain. In the early 1980s he was headmaster of Sek Kong Primary School in Hong Kong before moving to Aberlour House school 1987-89. He later returned to his former school, Robert Gordon's College in Aberdeen, as headmaster of the Junior School, and retired in 2004.
He is notable for his extreme modesty concerning his sporting accomplishments. He is married and he has four children. He is a member of the Church of Scotland. His uncle served in the Great War and was killed on the Western Front. His ancestors lived in the very north of Scotland near John O'Groats. They changed their name to Black for their hair colour because their previous surname MacGregor was associated with Rob Roy MacGregor.
Ian Black attended Aberdeen University where he was awarded an M.A. and a Certificate in Education.
Famous quotes containing the word black:
“I’m a prodigal son. The black sheep of a white flock. I shall die on the gallows.”
—William A. Drake (1900–1965)