A loyal Gopher to the end, University of Minnesota swimming icon Jean Freeman added her weak voice to a round of the Minnesota Rouser sung in her hospital room the night before she died of colon cancer.
"She raised her hand a little at the end where you say, 'Yay, Gophers RAH,'" said her sister, Patty Beckmann, of Ham Lake.
U athletic director Joel Maturi had stopped by and led an impromptu performance of the fight song as Freeman lay under a maroon-and-gold quilt.
She shaped the women's swimming program after becoming its first full-time coach upon her 1973 graduation. She led the team to Big Ten championships in 1999 and 2000 and coached 58 All-Americas. In 1999, she was the first woman to win the Outstanding Service Award, the highest honor bestowed by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America. "She was a true pioneer of women's athletics and such a wonderful role model for all of us," Maturi said in a written statement.
Freeman, 60, retired six years ago. She died Oct. 14 at Regions Hospital in St. Paul.
"Jean had a million-dollar smile and ... a remarkable ability to bring people together. [She] was revered throughout the university community," said Kathy Brown, a U vice president.
During Freeman's senior year, her swim team's part-time coach became ill, so she stepped in. After earning her physical education degree a year later, she was offered $50 to be head coach in 1973. She accepted and worked several jobs to make ends meet.
Freeman stressed hard work, honesty and a team sense of family, said Terry Nieszner. She was Freeman's first All America swimmer in 1974 and succeeded her as a co-coach. "She wanted to win, but she cared about the total person," Nieszner said.
