Hall of Fame
Tom Verth was a winner. Everything the Dentistry graduate touched as a member of the Varsity Blues turned to gold. He was an international standout in the pool, as well as a member of U of T championships teams in water polo and football.
While at U of T, Tom held Canadian swimming records in the 200m IM; 200m Back; 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m Freestyle. He was also part of the Varsity Blues relay team that set Canadian university records in the 200m & 400m medley, and 200m, 400m, 800m freestyle; the only university squad to ever achieve such a feat. In the 12 OQAA events that Tom raced for U of T, he finished first an incredible 11 times.
Tom played Varsity football from 1963-65 and was a member of the 1965 Yates Cup and College Bowl Championship team, who were also the first-ever Vanier Cup champs. That 1965 squad was inducted as a team into the U of T Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. The three-sport athlete was also a key component of the 1962-63 Ontario champion U of T water polo team.
Prior to arriving at U of T in 1962, Tom graduated with a B.A. from Indiana University where he was a three-time all-American in the pool. He also competed in the 1959 Pan Games and was an alternate with the 1960 Canadian Olympic squad. In fact, as a grade eleven student at Toronto’s Bloor Collegiate Tom became the first high school swimmer to ever claim a Canadian record in the pool.
