Arizona swimming icon, publisher and coach Brent Rutemiller dies at age 68

Former Arizona swim coach and publisher of Swimming World Magazine Brent Rutemiller died Monday morning after a three-year battle with cancer, leaving behind a decades-long legacy of swimming, philanthropy and inspiration.

The 68-year-old died surrounded by his family after contracting a lung infection over the weekend, according to a Facebook post by his daughter Shoshanna.

“We are so grateful that he was not in pain and was able to visit his children and grandchildren before he died. He was conscious and himself until the end. We will miss him very much.”

After a career spanning approximately 35 years with World Swimming Magazine and five years as CEO of the International Swimming Hall of Fame, Rutemiller was diagnosed with a rare bone marrow cancer called plasma cell leukemia in 2021.

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According to his obituary published in Swimming World Magazine, he spent three years trying to navigate various treatments while the cancer went into remission in and out.

Almost immediately after his diagnosis, Rutemiller founded a nonprofit organization called “Rutemiller’s Army” in partnership with Swim Across America to raise money for plasma cell leukemia research.

Currently, the organization has raised over $7,000.

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Throughout his life and even during treatment, Rutemiller was an avid swimmer and hiker. Five months after his diagnosis in 2021, he told The Arizona Republic that he swims 20 miles each month and hikes twice a week in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve.

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