Steve Furniss

Steve Furniss was an IM specialist, winning the 200 m and 400 m IM at both the 1971 and 1975 Pan American Games. In 1974 he tied David Wilkie’s world record before brother Bruce Furniss took over as record holder in 1975. Apart from his Olympic bronze medal at 200 m, Steve Furniss swam in the 400 IM at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics and was a finalist on both occasions.

Furniss studied dentistry for a short time at Southern Cal but then worked in public relations for the swimwear company Arena and for adidas. In 1985 he founded his own swimwear company, TYR Sport, serving as its President and CEO before retiring from the company in 2019. TYR became the second largest performance swimwear brand in North America, and in 1994, Furniss was named Inc. Magazine’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” for Orange County, California.