• Skip to Content
  • Skip to Main Navigation
  • Skip to Search

Indiana University Indiana University IU

Open Search
  • About
    • History
    • Stories
  • Awards
    • University
      • Honorary Degrees
      • University Medal
      • Bicentennial Medal
    • Presidential
      • President’s Medal for Excellence
      • Thomas Hart Benton Mural Medallion
      • Distinguished Service Medal
    • Research & Creative Activity
      • Nobel Prize
      • National Academies
      • International Academies
      • MacArthur Fellowship
      • Pulitzer Prize
      • Guggenheim Fellowship
      • Fulbright Award
      • Andrew Carnegie Fellowship
      • Distinguished Professors
      • Titled Professors
      • Wylie Innovation Catalyst Medal
      • The Humboldt Fellowship for Experienced Researchers
    • Artistic & Performance
      • Emmy
      • Grammy
      • Oscar
      • Tony
    • Teaching
      • Frederic Bachman Lieber Memorial Award
      • Herman Frederic Lieber Memorial Award
      • President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching
      • Sylvia E. Bowman Award
      • Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award
      • President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Technology
      • Part-Time Teaching Award
      • Lieber Memorial Associate Instructor Award
    • Service
      • Chancellor and Provost Medallion
      • Distinguished International Service Award
      • John W. Ryan Award for Distinguished Contributions to International Programs and Studies
      • E. Ross Bartley Award
      • W. George Pinnell Award for Outstanding Service
    • Historical
      • Bridging the Visibility Gap Initiative
      • IU Historical Marker Program
    • Student
      • Rhodes Scholarship
      • Marshall Scholarship
      • Mitchell Scholarship
      • Churchill Scholarship
      • Gates Cambridge Scholarship
      • Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad
      • Fulbright IIE
      • Goldwater Scholarship
      • Truman Scholarship
      • Boren Scholarship and Fellowship
      • Beinecke Scholarship
      • Udall Scholarship
      • Wells Senior Recognition Award
      • Stahr Distinguished Senior Award
      • Kate Hevner Mueller Outstanding Senior Award
    • Athletic
      • Olympians
      • IU Bloomington Athletics Hall of Fame
      • IUPUI Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame
      • Z.G. Clevenger Award
      • Leanne Grotke Award
      • Bill Orwig Award
    • Alumni
      • University Alumni Awards
      • Campus Alumni Awards
      • School Alumni Awards
    • Philanthropy
      • Partners in Philanthropy Award
      • Presidents Circle Laurel Pin
      • Indiana University Indianapolis Spirit of Philanthropy Award
      • IU Foundation President’s Medallion
  • Nominations
    • Teaching Awards
    • Service Awards
      • John W. Ryan Award
      • W. George Pinnell Award
    • Research and Creative Activity Awards
  • Events
    • Celebration of Teaching and Service Events
  • Search Awards
  • Contact Us

University Honors & Awards

  • Home
  • About
    • History
    • Stories
  • Awards
    • University
    • Presidential
    • Research & Creative Activity
    • Artistic & Performance
    • Teaching
    • Service
    • Historical
    • Student
    • Athletic
    • Alumni
    • Philanthropy
  • Nominations
    • Teaching Awards
    • Service Awards
    • Research and Creative Activity Awards
  • Events
    • Celebration of Teaching and Service Events
  • Search
  • Search Awards
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • Awards

Alan Somers

Alan Somers

Awards

IUB Athletics Hall of Fame - 2009
Z.G. Clevenger Award - 2007
Olympians - 1960
Swimming and Diving
United States of America
Rome, Italy
400M Freestyle
5th
Olympians - 1960
Swimming and Diving
United States of America
Rome, Italy
1,500M Freestyle
7th

About Alan Somers

Dr. Alan Somers is one of Indiana swimming's most decorated athletes and one of the program's most generous supporters. Somers began his illustrious career at Indiana in the early 1960s, and his legacy of greatness lives on today. While at Indiana, Somers was a Big Ten Champion in 1961 and 1962 in the 1500-meter freestyle and again in 1963 in the 1650-meter freestyle. Somers, who excelled in almost every freestyle event while at Indiana, was an eight-time All-American.

In addition to an impressive career as a Hoosier swimmer, Somers also participated in IU's Little 500 on the Phi Kappa Psi team. Somers, who is a neurologist in Bloomington, holds two prestigious degrees from the University.

Several years ago, Somers and other former swimmers and divers embarked on a campaign to raise $5 million to fully endow the 9.9 scholarships awarded in men's swimming and diving to ensure the growth and future success of the nationally adorned programs. As the need arose to endow almost 10 men's swimming and diving scholarships, Somers and his wife, fellow Indiana graduate Kitch, recently established a named scholarship in honor of Marge Counsilman, the matriarch of Indiana swimming. Through the "Matching the promise" campaign on the IU Bloomington campus, the Somers were able to double the impact of their gift. Additionally, Somers serves on the steering committee of the swimming endowment and is key in the fundraising efforts for his former collegiate program.

Giving back to a program that has provided so many of Indiana's student-athletes with life-time memories and friendships is Somers' motivation.

"It provided me with many of the most important and long lasting friendships," Somers said. "A sense of diligence, loyalty, discipline, intellectual rigor and the importance of long-term goals were deeply imbedded in the four years spent at Indiana University. These are things that I have carried with me to this day."

  • University
  • Presidential
  • Research & Creative Activity
  • Artistic & Performance
  • Teaching
  • Service
  • Historical
  • Student
  • Athletic
  • Alumni
  • Philanthropy
  • Office of the President

Indiana University

Accessibility | College Scorecard | Open to All | Privacy Notice | Copyright © 2025 The Trustees of Indiana University