I always wanted to be a dentist from the time I was in high school, and I was accepted to dental school in the spring of 1972. I was planning to go, but after the Olympics there were other opportunities.

Spitz went to work for ABC Sports in 1976 and worked on many sports presentations including coverage of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal and the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. They have two sons Matthew (born October 1981) and Justin (born September 1991). Russell did briefly match Spitz's world record in late August 1967 holding the world record equally with Spitz for five days before Spitz regained it solely on October 2 1967.

Since the year 1900 no other swimmer has ever gained so great a percentage of all the medals awarded for Olympic events held in a single Games. He was the third athlete to win nine Olympic gold medals. He was the most successful athlete at the 1972 Summer Olympics.