Carin Alice Cone (born April 18, 1940), also known by her married name Carin Cone Vanderbush after 1962, is an American former competition swimmer for the University of Houston's Shamrock Club, a 1956 Olympic silver medalist, and a former world record-holder in multiple events.^[4]

Cone was born on April 18, 1940, to Luther Raymond and Ruth Cone, a school teacher, and attended Ridgewood High School, graduating in 1958.^[5][6] Having learned to swim at five, her mother enrolled her at New York's Women's Swimming Association at nine where she was coached by Marie Giardine. An outstanding program with a long history of national champions, and Olympic participants, Charlotte Epstein founded the WSA in the 1920's. Cone won her first Junior National title at the age of 13. An exceptional high school student, with high test scores reflecting academic potential, Cone graduated with honors despite missing a third of her senior year to attend the Olympics. She received the Student Council Award for scholastic achievement in her Senior year.^[2]

In July 1956, Cone set an AAU, American and World Record time of 2:43.8 in the 200-meter backstroke breaking the 1951 former world record set by Judit Temes of Hungary.^[7]

She competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, where she won a silver medal in the 100-meter backstroke, having the same time (1:12.9 – new world record) as British swimmer Judy Grinham who was later judged as the gold medal winner.^[8]

In the event finals, Cone, the only American to medal, and both Judith Grinhim and Margaret Edwards of Great Britain appeared to touch the wall simultaneously with the timers giving Grinham and Cone a dead heat tie in world record time. Since a tie was not possible according to the rules, the decision for first place was made by a jury and, after deliberating, the majority of the judges named British swimmer Grinham as the Olympic gold medalist. Cone was given the silver medal as she had tied with Grinhim in the official scoring initially which used observation, timers, and photography.^[4]

Cone attended the University of Houston from around 1958-1960. She made Dean's list as a Freshman, studying up to 40 hours a week. Her swim training included up to 25 hours in the pool beginning at 6 AM, and she trained an average of two-three miles daily.^[2]

Although there was no official women's swimming team at the time, she was coached and managed by Phil Hansel, who was hired as the University's first coach in 1957, and helped train Cone in 1959. In the years when Houston had no varsity team from 1957-1971, Hansel coached two swim clubs affiliated with the University. A former swimmer for Purdue University, and Portland's Multinomah Athletic Club, Hansel managed swimming for the University of Houston from 1957-1996. From 1958-1968 when the University had no formal varsity team, Hansel coached the Shamrock Hilton Club for which Cone competed while in Houston. In 1959, the University of Houston swim club finished second at the AAU National Championships.^[9]

After ending her swimming career, Cone later graduated college in June 1962 from the University of Maryland.^[6]

In international competition, Cone captured two gold medals at the 1959 Pan American Games in Chicago.^[10]

Continuing to excel after the 1956 Olympics, many consider 1959 the most accomplished year of her swimming career. Early in 1959, she won both women's backstroke titles at the American Athletic Union Indoor meet.^[11] Cone broke the world record in the 220 yard backstroke with a 2:37.9 defeating defending champion Chris Von Saltza at the National AAU Women's Swimming Championships on July 17, 1959.^[1] At the 1959 Pan American games in Chicago, Cone captured the 100-meter backstroke title, establishing a new world record of 1:11.4 on the lead off backstroke leg in the medley relay.^[12]

Cone set seven backstroke world records during her career. She set ten American records in the short course consisting of the 100-yard, 150-yard and 200-yard backstroke events. She set thirteen American records in the long course in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 220-meter backstroke events and in one relay. Cone retired from competitive swimming in 1960.^[13] Between 1955-1959, she was named to five All American teams in swimming.^[6][11]

On June 23, 1962, she married Lt. Albert Vanderbush III, a New Jersey native, and former 1960 captain of the U.S. Army Academy football team, at the First Presbyterian Church in Cone's hometown of Ridgewood, New Jersey. After the wedding, the couple initially lived in Fort Campbell, Kentucky where Vanderbush was stationed at the time. Vanderbush graduated the Army Academy in 1961, and as an outstanding athlete earned three varsity letters in football and one in baseball. After serving in Korea, Vietnam and Hawaii, he returned to West Point in 1984. For six years, he served as Deputy of Intercollegiate Athletics for the Army Academy before a promotion to Director of Intercollegiate Athletics where he served from 1990 to 1999, later retiring from Army service as a Colonel.^[14][15] At least through 2014, the couple lived in Highland Falls, New York, about two miles from the Army Academy, where they raised their two sons.^[16][17]

After failing to qualify for the 1960 Olympic games, Cone retired from swimming and began a career in education. Cone taught kindergarten for twenty-six years, during some of the time her husband was serving abroad. Of her twenty-six year career teaching kindergarten, she stayed close to home teaching 18 years at the West Point Elementary school, finally retiring in 2002. Staying active in her sport after her marriage, she competed and trained in United States Masters Swimming.^[4][6]

In 1984 she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame, and was the first University of Houston athlete on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Gaining a degree of celebrity during her swimming years, she graced the cover of several magazines, and was invited to audition for a screen test and pursue work as a model.^[18] In her former local community, she was made a member of the Ridgewood High School Hall of Fame in Ridgewood, New Jersey.^[18].^[19]

• List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)
• List of University of Houston people
• World record progression 4 × 100 metres medley relay

• Carin Cone at World Aquatics
• Carin Cone at the International Swimming Hall of Fame
• Carin Cone at Olympedia