in the finals of the 400-meter individual medley, and also competed in the 200-meter backstroke. He graduated from the University of Miami in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications. That same year he returned to Puerto Rico where he met his future wife, Betsy Lopez, sister of the Atlanta Braves baseball star Javy López and of Puerto Rican volleyball superstar Elaine Lopez. After working in his family business in Ponce for three years, Vassallo and his brothers opened "Vassallo Unlimited" which produces solid surface materials that are used in the construction industry. Vassallo was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. Legacy In 1997, Vassallo Anadón became the first Puerto Rican to be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. Among other honors which have been bestowed upon him are his induction into the Japanese Swimmers Hall of Fame; the University of Miami's Hall of Fame; the Puerto Rican Hall of Fame and the Ponce Hall of Fame. Vassallo has also appeared on the covers of "The Olympian", "Sports Illustrated", and "Swimming World Magazine" among others. He is also recognized at Ponce's Park for the Illustrious Ponce Citizens. As of June 2011, Vassallo is Head Coach for the Pompano Beach Piranhas in Pompano Beach, Florida. In Japan, the swimming style developed by Vassallo is called , based on a mispronunciation (va-sa-ro) of Vassallo's name. Notes See also List of Puerto Ricans List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (men) Sports in Puerto Rico World record progression 200 metres individual medley World record progression 400 metres individual medley References External links 1961 births Living people American male backstroke swimmers American male medley swimmers World record setters in swimming Miami Hurricanes men's swimmers Olympic swimmers of the United States Puerto Rican male swimmers Sportspeople from Ponce, Puerto Rico Swimmers at the 1979 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 1984 Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in swimming Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games 20th-century American people 21st-century American people