Editing Dennis Conner

{{short description|American yachtsman}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2019}}
{{BLP sources|date=February 2018}}
{{Infobox sailor
| name           = Dennis Conner
| image          = Dennis-Conner-America-s-Cup cropped.jpg
| imagesize      =
| caption        =
| fullname       = Dennis Walter Conner 
| nationality    = American
| classes        = [[Tempest (keelboat)|Tempest]], [[Star (sailboat)|Star]]
| club           =
| collegeteam    =
| birth_date     = {{birth date and age|1942|09|16}}
| birth_place    = [[San Diego]], [[California]]
| death_date     =
| death_place    =
| height         =
| weight         =
| retired        =
| show-medals    = yes
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport|[[Sailing at the Summer Olympics|Sailing]]}}
{{Medal|Country | {{USA}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalBronze| [[1976 Summer Olympics|1976 Montreal]] | Tempest class}}
{{MedalCompetition|World Championships}}
{{MedalGold|[[Star World Championships|1971 Puget Sound]]|Star class}}
{{MedalGold|[[Star World Championships|1977 Kiel]]|Star class}}
{{MedalSilver|[[Star World Championships|1978 San Francisco]]|Star class}}
}}

'''Dennis Walter Conner ''' (born September 16, 1942) is an American yachtsman. He is noted for winning a bronze medal at the [[Sailing at the 1976 Summer Olympics|1976 Olympics]], two [[Star (sailboat)|Star]] [[List of World Championships medalists in sailing (keelboat classes)|World Championships]], and three wins in the [[America's Cup]].

==Sailing career==
Conner was born September 16, 1942, in [[San Diego]].<ref name=sr>{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/dennis-conner-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418101621/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/dennis-conner-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 18, 2020 |title=Dennis Conner |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=March 25, 2018}}</ref> He competed in the [[Sailing at the 1976 Summer Olympics|1976 Olympics]] together with [[Conn Findlay]] and took the bronze medal in the [[Tempest (keelboat)|Tempest]] class.<ref name=sr /><ref>{{Cite web |title=2024 Star Worlds in San Diego welcomes new talent while celebrating a remarkable class |url=https://www.sail-world.com/news/277837/2024-Star-Worlds-in-San-Diego-welcomes-new-talent |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=www.sail-world.com}}</ref> Conner also took part in the 1979 [[Admiral's Cup]], as helmsman on the [[Peterson 45]] named ''Williwaw''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.rorc.org/admiralscup/history/1979/default.html |title=rorc.org: "Champagne Mumm Admiral's History - 1979" |access-date=December 12, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041212091724/http://www.rorc.org/admiralscup/history/1979/default.html |archive-date=December 12, 2004 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Monteagudo |first=Merrie |date=2022-02-04 |title=Dennis Conner and his San Diego Yacht Club-based crew won the America’s Cup in 1987 |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2022/02/04/dennis-conner-and-his-san-diego-yacht-club-based-crew-won-the-americas-cup-in-1987/ |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=San Diego Union-Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref>

===America's Cup===
Conner has won the America's Cup three times, successfully defending the Cup in [[1980 America's Cup|1980]] and [[1988 America's Cup|1988]], and winning as the challenger in [[1987 America's Cup|1987]]. His 4–3 loss in [[1983 America's Cup|1983]] to Australian [[Alan Bond (businessman)|Alan Bond]]'s wing-keeled challenger ''[[Australia II]]''  was the first Cup defender to be defeated in the 132-year history of the race, simultaneously ending a run by the [[New York Yacht Club]] that began with the first contest. Following the loss Conner formed his own syndicate, the [[Stars & Stripes (yacht)|Sail America Foundation]], through which he raised funds to mount a challenge on behalf of [[San Diego Yacht Club]], culminating with winning the Cup back from Australia in 1987. Conner's 1983 loss and the subsequent 1987 victory are the basis of the 1992 [[American Zoetrope]] film ''[[Wind (1992 film)|Wind]]''.

===The Big Boat Challenge and the beginning of multihulls in America's Cup===
Representing [[San Diego Yacht Club]], Conner's Sail America Foundation faced another controversial challenger in [[1988 America's Cup|1988]], backed by New Zealand banker [[Michael Fay (banker)|Michael Fay]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/08/0212a/ |title=Think this is ugly? You should have seen 1988 |date=February 12, 2008 |author=Rich Roberts |work=Scuttlebutt News}}</ref> Fay's team abandoned the 12-meter format that had prevailed since the pre-WW II demise of the massive and fantastically expensive [[J-sloop]]s, and challenged with a huge and unconventional 90' super-sloop (''[[KZ1 (yacht)|KZ1]])''. Conner responded with an even more controversial 60' wing-sailed catamaran (''[[Stars & Stripes 88|US-1]]'') in a surprise defense.

Fay's challenge and legal case based on the Deed foreshadowed the controversial 33rd America's Cup, whose legal wrangling resulted in the contest being decided in enormous multihulls in February 2010,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sailing.org/news/28267.php |title=America's Cup Multihull Battle Set For February 2010 |date=May 14, 2009 |work=The International Sailing Federation |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100708163510/http://www.sailing.org/news/28267.php |archive-date=July 8, 2010 }}</ref> while returning to the pre-war style of exclusive, billionaire backed campaigns of [[Alinghi]] and [[BMW Oracle Racing]].

===Leadership and management===
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=August 2019}}
Before the 1980s, America's Cup competitors were mostly amateurs who took time off from their regular jobs to compete.  Conner insisted on year round training with a new focus on physical fitness and practice.  This change in approach led to a return to professional crews in sailing, which had hardly been seen since the 1930s.

[[File:Dennis Conner By Phil Konstantin.jpg|thumb|A photo of America's Cup winner Dennis Conner while aboard a replica of the original Cup winner "America" in San Diego in 2010]]

===Funding and setbacks===
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=August 2019}}
Perhaps due to the bad media attention surrounding the 1988 catamaran defense, Conner had insufficient funding to mount a multiple-boat defense in 1992, which also heralded the debut of the [[International America's Cup Class|IACC yacht]]. His USA-11 proved no match to [[Bill Koch (businessman)|Bill Koch]]'s [[America3]] campaign.  USA-11 was built as a test-bed for design ideas that were to be incorporated into the "racing" boat, nicknamed ''TDC-2''.  However, ''TDC-2'' was never built.  Its ideas were incorporated into his single-boat campaign for 1995, and the yacht Stars & Stripes USA-34.  After almost sinking during The [[Citizen Cup]] defender trials, USA-34 went on to a come-from-behind win over ''[[1995 Citizen Cup#America3|Mighty Mary]]'', earning the right to defend The Cup against Team New Zealand's ''Black Magic'', [[NZL 32|NZL-32]]. Believing Stars & Stripes was no match against the Black Magic, Dennis Conner swapped boats for the Cup matches, pitting ''[[Young America (1994 yacht)|Young America]]'' against New Zealand's ''Black Magic'' NZL–32. But the result was a humiliating defeat for Dennis Conner, losing to Team New Zealand 5-0.

Conner again found difficulty securing funding for the [[2000 America's Cup]] in Auckland, New Zealand. As in 1992 and 1995, he mounted a single-boat campaign centered upon Stars & Stripes USA-55.  Conner was eliminated in the quarter final [[repechage]] by [[Craig McCaw]]'s OneWorld Challenge.

Conner was a rare non-billionaire fielding a team to compete in the [[2003 America's Cup]], held in [[New Zealand]], receiving funding of up to US$40 million from his sponsors. His syndicate, ''Stars & Stripes'', suffered a severe setback before they departed California, as one of the two Stars & Stripes boats (''USA-77'') sank when its rudder post failed during training. Despite raising the boat from 55 feet of water and eventually repairing it, they were unable to recover the valuable testing time lost and they were defeated in the quarter-finals of the [[Louis Vuitton Cup]].

2003 marked Conner's last participation in the America's Cup.

== Yachting accomplishments ==
* 3-time winner, America's Cup, 1980, 1987 and 1988
* 2-time loser, America's Cup, 1983 and 1995
* Inductee, [[America's Cup Hall of Fame]]
* Captain, two Whitbread Round-the-World races (On boat Winston in 1993-94 and on boat Toshiba 1997–98.) (see [[Volvo Ocean Race]])
* 28 World Championships
* Three-time winner, [[US Sailor of the Year Awards|U.S. Yachtsman of the Year]]: 1975, 1980 and 1986<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ussailing.org/awards/rolex/ |title=US SAILING - Rolex Yachtsman & Yachtswoman of the Year Awards |access-date=2010-04-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100715230403/http://www.ussailing.org/awards/rolex/ |archive-date=2010-07-15 }}</ref>
* Seven-time winner, San Diego Yachtsman of the Year
* Olympic Bronze Medal winner, 1976<ref name=sr />
* 4 Southern Ocean Racing Cups
* 2 Congressional Cups
* 1987 [[Wide World of Sports (U.S. TV series)#Athlete of the Year|ABC Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year]]
* [[National Sailing Hall of Fame]] Founding Inductee in 2011<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nshof.org/inductees/conner-dennis/|title=Dennis Conner 2011 Inductee |publisher=Nshof.org |access-date=April 11, 2020}}</ref>
* [[Maxi yacht]] racing
* One of only four American sailors inducted into the [[ISAF Sailing Hall of Fame]]
* 2-time winner Etchells World Championship (1991 San Francisco, 1994 Newport Beach)

== Honors and activities ==
* [[Honorary doctorate]] from [[Green Mountain College]], 1987
* Honorary doctorate from the  Medical College of the [[University of South Carolina]], 1987
* America's Greatest Sailor, US Sailing's Greatest American Sailor Tournament
* Commencement speaker, United States Naval Academy
* [[List of covers of Time magazine (1980s)|Cover of ''Time'' magazine]], February 9, 1987 [http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/time/3341-1.jpg]
* Cover of ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' with President Ronald Reagan, February 1987 [https://web.archive.org/web/20111003083611/http://i.cdn.turner.com/sivault/si_online/covers/images/1987/0216_large.jpg]
* Artist, sales of artwork in the several millions of dollars
* Motivational speaker
* Member of [[San Diego Yacht Club]], Silvergate Yacht Club, [[New York Yacht Club]], [[Yacht Club de Monaco]]
* San Diego Rotary

== Education ==
* [[Bachelor's degree]] from [[San Diego State University]]

== Publications ==
* ''No Excuse to Lose'', 1987
* ''Comeback: My Race for the America's Cup'', 1987
* ''Learn to Sail: A Beginner's Guide to the Art, Equipment and Language of Sailing on a Lake or Ocean'', 1998
* ''The America's Cup: The History of Sailings Greatest Competition in the Twentieth Century'', 1998
* ''The Art of Winning'', 1990
* ''Sail Like a Champion'', 1992
* ''America's Cup Cookbook'', 1992
* ''Life's Winning Tips'', 1997

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links==
* {{official website|http://dennisconner.com/}}
* {{World Sailing|id=USADC86|www=dennis-walter-conner}}
* {{Olympics.com profile|dennis-walter-conner}}
* {{Olympedia}}

{{Footer World Champions Star}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conner, Dennis}}
[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:American male sailors (sport)]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Members of the New York Yacht Club]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in sailing]]
[[Category:Point Loma High School alumni]]
[[Category:San Diego State University alumni]]
[[Category:Sailors at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Tempest]]
[[Category:Star class world champions]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from San Diego]]
[[Category:US Sailor of the Year]]
[[Category:Volvo Ocean Race sailors]]
[[Category:San Diego Yacht Club sailors]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:2003 America's Cup sailors]]
[[Category:2000 America's Cup sailors]]
[[Category:1995 America's Cup sailors]]
[[Category:1992 America's Cup sailors]]
[[Category:1988 America's Cup sailors]]
[[Category:1987 America's Cup sailors]]
[[Category:1983 America's Cup sailors]]
[[Category:1980 America's Cup sailors]]
[[Category:1974 America's Cup sailors]]
[[Category:World champions in sailing for the United States]]
[[Category:Etchells class world champions]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]