Marcus Titus

{{Short description|American swimmer (born 1986)}} {{Infobox swimmer | name = Marcus Titus | image = Marcus Titus Swimmer.JPG | image_size = 300 | alt = Titus pictured in water | caption = Titus in 2016 | full_name = Marcus James Titus | nicknames = Marcus Aurelius | national_team = {{USA}} | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1986|5|20|mf=y}} | birth_place = Tucson, Arizona, U.S. | death_date = | height = 5 ft 11 in | weight = 187 lb | strokes = Breaststroke, Freestyle | club = Tucson Ford Dealers Aquatics (FORDAZ) | coach = Busch Frank | show-medals = yes | medaltemplates = {{MedalCompetition | Pan American Games }} {{MedalSilver | 2011 Guadalajara | 4×100 m medley relay }} {{MedalBronze | 2011 Guadalajara | 100 m breaststroke }} }}

'''Marcus James Titus''' (born May 20, 1986) is a deaf American swimmer who has made it as far as eighth place in the 2012 Olympic Trials. Titus won a state championship at Flowing Wells High School and is a 12-time-All-American at Arizona, he was a major figure in the US’s 2008 NCAA championship team, and he was previously a coach for the 2013 Deaflympic team. He is also known for being a spokesperson for deaf and hard-hearing athletes in the swimming world.<ref name=":7">{{cite news |last=Hansen |first=Greg |date=June 28, 2012 |title=Marcus Titus- Pan American Games |newspaper=The Arizona Star |location=Tucson |id={{ProQuest|1022366797}} }}</ref>

Titus is the deaf world record holder in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle, 50-meter breaststroke, and 100-meter breaststroke, all of which he set records for at the World Deaf Championships. Titus's career highlights include finishing third in the 100-meter breaststroke at the 2009 ConocoPhillips National Championships, placing fourth in the same event the following year in 2010, and, lastly, placing third again the year after that in the 2011 ConocoPhillips National Championships.<ref name=":3" />

In his later career, Titus tried out for the 2012 Olympic Trials, coached the 2013 Deaflympic team, and is planning on returning to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympic Trials.<ref name=":1" />

==Early years== Marcus Titus was born on May 20, 1986, in Tucson, Arizona.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |url=http://www.usaswimming.org/DesktopModules/BioViewManaged.aspx?personid=f8db5f56-b9dc-4292-b390-3b19b54d4df5&TabId=1453&Mid=10312 |title=USA Swimming - National Team Bios |website=www.usaswimming.org |access-date=2016-03-23 |archive-date=April 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416053921/http://www.usaswimming.org/DesktopModules/BioViewManaged.aspx?personid=f8db5f56-b9dc-4292-b390-3b19b54d4df5&TabId=1453&Mid=10312 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Titus was born deaf. However, his parents, Mark and Mieko Titus, didn't discover this until the age of three. Titus can hear a close-up conversation at about fifty percent capacity when wearing a device in his right ear. His interpreter, Hans Ferguson, helps him communicate better at meets by using hand signals to inform him when to take his mark and begin the race.<ref name=":7" /> Titus attended a Deaf Institute until fourth grade, and then went to public school. It was here he found his love for swimming and has continued this dream of competitive swimming.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.razoo.com/us/story/Marcus-Titus-Olympic-Training|title=Raise Money For Anything - An Online Fundraising Website {{!}} Razoo|website=www.razoo.com|access-date=2016-03-25|archive-date=April 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422104633/https://www.razoo.com/us/story/Marcus-Titus-Olympic-Training|url-status=dead}}</ref> He began swimming at the age of twelve for his high school team, Flowing Wells. There Titus earned four varsity letters in swimming and was named High School All-American as a senior. He participated in the 4x100 medley relay team, helping to lead his team to first place at the National Championships.thumb|Swimmer Marcus Titus Titus earned four varsity letters in swimming at Flowing Wells High School in Tucson, Arizona. He participated in the 4x100 medley relay team, helping to lead his team to first place at the National Championships, in which his split time was 1:04.14. At a Speedo Champion Series, Titus took first place in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:05.14. Titus was named High School All-American as a senior.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thesundevils.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30300&ATCLID=208246548 |title=Marcus Titus High School Profile |last1=Arizona State Sun Devils |date=2006 |website=www.thesundevils.com |publisher=Sun Devils Athletics |access-date=March 20, 2016}}</ref>

Titus attended the University of Arizona and got his degree in deaf studies/special education. His college swim coach nicknamed him Marcus Aurelius because his name sounded very Roman.<ref name=":3" /> Titus also gained the title of a multiple All-American in breaststroke and in medley relay events, placing second in the 2008 NCAAs.

==Swimming career== thumb|Marcus Titus at a Swimming Award Ceremony during the 2011 ConocoPhillips National Championships Marcus Titus's swimming career began when he first decided to join his high school swim team at Flowing Wells. He continued swimming throughout all of high school career and eventually continued on with it throughout college when he attended the University of Arizona. He is the Arizona State University and University of Arizona 100 yard breaststroke record holder. With the help of his coach, Frank Busch, Titus made the USA National team three years in a row gaining him recognition.<ref name=":7" /> During the Pan American Games, Titus won his medal in the 100-meter breaststroke in Guadalajara, earning his first-ever medal in an international competition. This, along with all the other big events he has attended and placed well, such as NCAA's, US Open, and the Olympic trials, has helped to make him one of the most renowned deaf swimmers in the United States.<ref name=":0" />

At Arizona State University in 2006, Titus acquired a personal best time of 54.28 in the 100m breast at the Pac-10 Championships, setting a new school record. He also finished 10th in the 200m breaststroke with a time of 2:00.58 and 6th in the 100m breaststroke in the 2005, and at the Texas Invitational with a time of 54.77.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arizonawildcats.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30700&ATCLID=207918526 |title=Mens Swimming and Diving- Marcus Titus |last1=University of Arizona |date=October 25, 2006 |website=www.arizonawildcats.com |publisher=Arizona Athletics |access-date=March 20, 2016}}</ref> Titus also gained the title of a multiple All-American in breaststroke and in medley relay events, placing second in the 2008 NCAAs.<ref name=":2" />

Titus originally attempted to make the USA Olympic team in the 2008 Olympic trials in Beijing but fell short. Hoping to make it in the 2012 Olympic trials, Titus competed in the Pan American Games, in Guadalajara, Mexico, to help prepare. He needed to make improvements in his stroke technique to allow for less drag.<ref name=":8">{{cite news |last=The Associated Press |date=October 17, 2011 |title=Deaf US Swimmer makes it to the Big Stage at Pan Ams |url=http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=bc06008d-9b41-498a-8366-610aea1d137d%40sessionmgr4005&vid=0&hid=4202&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl&preview=false#AN=1438f10ff700485fba231f930a777295&db=n5h |newspaper=AP Regional State Report- The Associated Press |location=Arizona |access-date=March 23, 2016}}</ref> In the 2012 Olympic trials, Titus posted a time of 1:00:49 in breaststroke, coming in eighth place, just barely missing making the Olympic team by .79 of a second. From his first attempt at the Olympic trials in 2008, Titus shaved off 1.18 seconds off his time in the 2012 Olympic trials. .<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Commings |first=Jeff |date=August 19, 2015 |title=Marcus Titus Among World Record Breakers at Deaf World swimming Champions |url=https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/marcus-titus-deaf-world-swimming-championships/ |magazine=Swimming World Magazine |publisher=Swimming World |access-date=March 22, 2016}}</ref><ref name=":6" /> After this, Titus took a break from competitive swimming to coach the 2013 USA Deaflympics team.

Titus took a position as a coach for the 2013 USA Deaflympics in Sofia, Bulgaria.<ref name=":2">{{cite magazine |last=Commings |first=Jeff |date=November 15, 2013 |title=Marcus Titus on the Comeback Trial: 2016 Olympic Trials and 2017 Deaflympics are Main Targets |url=https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/marcus-titus-on-the-comeback-trail-2016-olympic-trials-and-2017-deaflympics-are-main-targets/ |magazine=Swimming World Magazine |publisher=Swimming World |access-date=March 21, 2016}}</ref> As coach, Titus led his team to two new world records and multiple American records and medals.<ref name=":5" />

Titus now hopes to try again in 2016 Rio Olympic trials.<ref name=":0" />

==Coaching==

Titus took a year off from swimming to take a position as a swim coach for the USA team at the 2013 Deaflympics.<ref name=":2" /> Besides swimming, Titus hopes to begin a career in coaching swimmers. In 2013, there was a lot of controversy on whether or not Titus should be the head coach for the Deaflympics team. Titus was first nominated by Dale Parker, the Director of U.S. Deaf Swimming (USDS), for the job, but was turned down by the USA Deaf Sports Federation because he was still considered an active participant in swimming and therefore could not juggle both jobs. Parker continued to push for Titus, saying that U.S. Deaf Swimming’s "best candidate to lead the team is Marcus Titus" and arguing that Titus would only be entering in relays while coaching, making him able to take on the responsibilities. Still, USA Deaf Sports Federation still searched for a head coach with a "single role."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Commings |first=Jeff |date=February 2, 2013 |title=Marcus Titus Turned Down as Head Coach/Swimmer for 2013 Deaflympics |url=https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/marcus-titus-turned-down-as-head-coachswimmer-for-2013-deaflympics |magazine=Swimming World Magazine |location=Lexington, Kentucky |publisher=Swimming World |access-date=March 24, 2016}}

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===Influence in Swimming World===

Other than through his success in swimming, he has also made a positive change for deaf swimmers in races and competitions. He has done this through his efforts in contacting the officials about allowing hand signals during races. After much work and effort put towards getting hand signals in the rule book, US swimming finally deems them mandatory. In a sport that is decided by only fractions of a second, this allows deaf swimmers to be able to do their best during competition without as many obstacles.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/usa-swimming-will-allow-hand-signals-to-accommodate-deaf-athletes-at-olympic-trials/2012/04/19/gIQAkcbEUT_story.html |title=USA Swimming will allow hand signals to accommodate deaf athletes at Olympic trials |last=Flaherty |first=Bryan |date=2012-04-19 |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286 |access-date=2016-03-25}}</ref>

USA Swimming decided to allow hand signals at the U.S. Olympic trials, thanks to Titus and his fan base, to accommodate deaf swimmers. Titus, upon hearing USA Swimming would not allow hand signals to comply with international rules, talked to US Swimming through an attorney.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hansen |first=Greg |date=May 22, 2012 |title=Marcus Titus and the Indianapolis Grand Prix |url=http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=041e9eee-a21f-4e9e-8b81-d6e47cf82e55%40sessionmgr102&vid=0&hid=108&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl&preview=false#AN=2W6702763411&db=n5h |newspaper=The Arizona Daily Star |location=Tucson |access-date=March 22, 2016}}{{Dead link|date=March 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> When this didn't work, Titus set up a Facebook page to get fans to e-mail USA swimming officials. Before, they only used strobe lights, which is good for deaf and hearing-impaired swimmers to know when to start the race, but not any other cue. Titus took this as a form of discrimination against deaf and hearing-impaired swimmers. While other swimming organizations used hand signals to accommodate those who are hearing-impaired, USA Swimming did not.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://larrybrownsports.com/olympics/marcus-titus-deaf-swimmer-usa-olympics-discrimination/130607 |title=Deaf Swimmer Marcus Titus claims USA swimming is discriminating against him (updated) |last1=Delvecchio |first1=Steve |date=April 19, 2012 |website=FOX |publisher=Larry Brown Sports |access-date=March 23, 2016}}</ref> Titus, backed up by U.S. Deaf Swimming and USA Deaf Sports Federation, finally got USA Swimming to reverse this decision in July 2012 .<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Hansen |first=Greg |date=April 22, 2012 |title=Arizona Athletes |newspaper=Tribune Business News -The Arizona Daily Star |location=Tucson |id={{ProQuest|1008771609}} }}</ref>

Without hand signals, deaf swimmers may face addition challenge. Deaf swimmers need these to hear the referee’ instructions to step up to the starting blocks, take their marks before starting, or even hear the buzzer to dive. In a sport where every millisecond is important, reliance on observing other swimmers for the start may affect performance.<ref name=":1" />

==Awards== thumb|Marcus Titus at awards ceremony at World Deaf Swimming Championships in Portugal Titus is a 100 breaststroke recorder holder at his university. He placed third in 100m breast at the 2009 ConocoPhillips National Championship as well as fourth in the same event the following year. The last year he competed he got third in the 100m breast at the 2011 ConocoPhillips National Championship. In the 2011 Deaflympics, Titus broke the world record by beating his own record. He was named Swimmer of the Meet when he won five individual gold medals as well as silver and bronze medal at the International Deaf Swimming Competition. Marcus Titus was also in the Mexico Pan American Games in 2011 and won a silver medal in 4x100 medley relay and a bronze medal in 100m breaststroke. In 2012, he almost made it into the Olympic Roster by eight tenths of a second in the 100 breast stroke.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4">{{cite magazine |last=Commings |first=Jeff |date=August 19, 2015 |title=Marcus Titus Among Record Breakers at Deaf World Swimming Championships |url=https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/marcus-titus-deaf-world-swimming-championships |magazine=Swimming World Magazine |publisher=SwimmingWorld.com |access-date=March 23, 2016}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |url=http://www.healthyhearing.com/content/articles/Assistance/Awareness/50420-Deaf-olympic-swimming-hopeful-marcus-titus-makes-history |title=Deaf Olympic Swimming Hopeful Marcus Titus Makes History |date=July 26, 2012 |website=Healthy Hearing |publisher=HealthyHearing.com |language=en-US |access-date=2016-03-28 |archive-date=April 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417194742/http://www.healthyhearing.com/content/articles/Assistance/Awareness/50420-Deaf-olympic-swimming-hopeful-marcus-titus-makes-history |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usaswimming.org/ViewNewsArticle.aspx?TabId=0&itemid=8889&mid=14491 |title=Catching Up with Marcus Titus |last1=Watkins |first1=Mike |date=May 28, 2015 |website=USA Swimming |access-date=March 20, 2016 |archive-date=April 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416064255/http://www.usaswimming.org/ViewNewsArticle.aspx?TabId=0&itemid=8889&mid=14491 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The USDS Team took 19 Swimmers to World Deaf Swimming Championships in Coimbra, Portugal. The team brought back a total of 22 medals (11 Gold, 4 Silver, and 7 Bronze). The USDS (United States Deaf Swim) Team was named 2011 World Deaf Swimming Champions.<ref name=":5" /> Titus gained the title "Swimmer of the Meet" after winning five individual gold medals and one individual bronze at the 2011 World Deaf Championships in Portugal. He also won a silver medal and two bronze medals in the relay events. At this meet alone, Titus set deaf world records in the 50m breaststroke, 50m freestyle, and 100m freestyle.<ref name=":3" />

Titus assisted as a coach in Deaflympics and helped the USA Deaflympic team win eighteen new American records and two new world records in the August 2013 Deaflympic Games in Sofia, Bulgaria. The team, made up of eleven swimmers, triumphed with two gold medals, a silver medal, and three bronze medals. The team also accomplished earning multiple personal best times and three American records with two world records.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |url=http://deafswim.org/whoweare/ |title=Who We Are- USA Deaf Swimming |last=Matchett |first=Doug |date=August 20, 2015 |website=USA Deaf Swimming |publisher=Rene Massengale |access-date=2016-03-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160329042656/http://deafswim.org/whoweare/ |archive-date=March 29, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> {| class="wikitable sortable" !Meet !Event !Place |- |2015 Pan American Games |100m Breast stroke (BR) |3 Final |- |2011 NCAA championships |100m BR; 100y; BR; 200y BR; 200y Medley Relay (MED-R) |4 Final; 11 Final; 5 Final; 6 Final |- |US Open 2010 |400y MED-R; 100m BR |2 Final; 1 Final |- |2009 NCAAs |400m MED-R; 100y BR; 200y BR; 200y MED-R |7 Final; 15 Final; 12 Final (fn); 9 Final (fn) |- |TRIALS |400y MED-R; 100m BR; 100m BR |20 Final; 17 Final; 16 Final |- |2008 Swimvitational |200m BR; 100m BR |5 Final; 24 Final |- |NCAAs |200m BR; 100y BR; 200y BR; 200y MED-R |2 Final; 10 Final; 5 Final(fn); 5 Final (fn) |- |2007 Summer Nationals |200y MED-R; 50m Freestyle (FR) | |- |2007 US OPEN |200m BR; 100 BR |11 Final; 14 Final |- |2006 Summer NAtionals |200m BR; 400 MED-R | |- |Summer Nationals |100m BR; 400 MED-R |14 Final |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{USA Swimming|new_id=marcus-titus|old_id=f8db5f56-b9dc-4292-b390-3b19b54d4df5}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2021}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Titus, Marcus}} Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:American male freestyle swimmers Category:American male breaststroke swimmers Category:Swimmers at the 2011 Pan American Games Category:Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games Category:Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in swimming Category:Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States in swimming