Medal count: Which American Olympians have the most medals all time?

6. Mark Spitz

Medal count: 11 (9 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)

Sport: Swimming

Games attended: 1968, 1972

If you weren’t born in the 1960s or earlier, you probably associate the name Mark Spitz from 2008. That’s the year Michael Phelps broke Spitz’s 36-year-old record for the most gold medals at a single Olympics.

At the Munich 1972 Olympic Games, “Mark the Pool Shark” won seven gold medals for the United States, setting a new world record time in each event in the process. Spitz dominated individually in the 100 and 200 m butterfly and freestyle events and was a part of all three gold-medal-winning relays for Team USA.

Most swimmers shave their entire bodies for important races, but Spitz famously swam with a mustache during the Olympics. He originally grew it as a form of rebellion against his college coach who said he couldn’t grow one, but then the mustache became somewhat of a good-luck charm.

While he holds no hard feelings towards Phelps himself, Spitz was disappointed he was not invited to the Beijing Olympics to watch his fellow American take down one of the most impressive records in sports.