“I can tell you that my successful careers at both Princeton and at Harvard Business School were possible and were enhanced by my total experience at the Columbus Academy,” stated Phil Carlin ’58 when he became the 46th inductee into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame on December 3, 2022. “Anything I achieved in undergraduate and graduate school was significantly due to the foundation provided by my Academy education and experiences, so thank you Academy for what you’ve given to me.”
Phil earned 10 varsity letters at Academy as a four-sport athlete in baseball, football, golf and swimming. A two-time All-American swimmer, Phil placed second in the state and among the best in the nation in the 50-yard freestyle as a junior. In 1957, he helped win the first Columbus Academy state title – in any sport – in the 400 freestyle relay with teammates Tim Bigelow, Steve Brown and Larry Lacksen.
Phil’s main sport, though, was football where the Vikings won a Mid-State League title his sophomore season and went 16-4-3 over his final three years. Phil served as the team’s co-captain as a senior and went on to play football at Princeton all four years, was captain of the freshman squad and earned 1961 All-Ivy Academic Team honors.