Wade King of Douglas MacArthur High School became a back-to-back Walter A. Leesch award winner in 1984 and ’85 as the area’s top swimmer. Arguably one of the finest swimmers Saginaw has ever produced, King holds individual Saginaw County records in the 50-yard freestyle (:21.34) and 100-yard butterfly (:50.00) as well as
being a member of the 200-yard medley relay team (1 :37.47). King was a four-time state champion and was named prep All-American a total of six times during his junior and senior seasons. King was awarded the Michigan Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association Swimmer of the Year award his senior year. He went on to swim for the
University of South Carolina from 1986-89, captaining the Gamecocks his senior year, and earning All-American honors all four years he competed. He established eight school records while at South Carolina in addition to six Metro Conference records. In 1987 he participated for the U.S. National team at the Pan-Am Games and won a gold medal in the 400-meter medley relay and a silver medal in the 100-meter butterfly. In '88, King again collected gold and silver medals in the same events at the PanAm Games. King
swam a leg on the 200-yard medley relay team that set a World Record of 1:39.22 in the Pan-Pacific Games in Tokyo, Japan. After college King was named All-American while swimming at the U.S. Swimming Summer Nationals. From 1987 to 1991 he was ranked in the top seven in the world in the 100-meter butterfly with the highest ranking being No. 2 in 1989. King retired from competitive swimming in 1991 but resumed swimming from 1994-96 until retiring again. He was elected into the Saginaw Swimming Hall of Fame in 1996.