After graduating from Mission Viejo High School, he attended college at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he swam for coach Ron Ballatore's UCLA Bruins swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Pacific-10 Conference competition from 1978 to 1980. During his college swimming career, he won nine NCAA individual championships, including three times in each of the 500-yard freestyle, 1,650-yard freestyle, and the 400-yard individual medley."Brian Goodell biography – USA Swimming" – USASwimming.org (Retrieved on July 6, 2008)
