While competing in college for the Montana State Bobcats, he was the first person in the world to high jump over 7 feet and clear 17 feet in the pole vault on the same day.
But even more impressive, he says, is that he married Shannon Cate.
Cate, of course, is the legendary Lady Griz basketball player who is now an assistant coach at UM.
On Wednesday, Schweyen, who grew up in East Helena, was named the interim director of track and field at Montana.
Prior to taking last year off to pursue his art career full time, Schweyen coached for 10 years as an assistant to Tom Raunig, who recently retired after 12 seasons as UM's head coach.
Here, Schweyen talks about, among other things, his new job, his art and a fateful game of one-on-one 14 years ago.
Q: What will your responsibilities be as the interim director of track and field at UM?
A: I'll oversee the entire program and coaches and do all of the administrative work.
Q: So you won't be coaching at all?
A: No, not really. I don't have the time. Plus they already have the coaches there and they do a great job already, so there's no sense making it confusing.
Q: I noticed the “interim” label. Is this a one-year deal?
A: For the time being it is. After that, we'll just take it from there.
Q: Where did you go to high school?
A: I went to Helena High, I was a Bengal. That was a lot of years ago, it seems like. I graduated in 1986. Now I'll be coaching kids that were born after I graduated. That's kind of weird.
Q: Talk about your career at Montana State.
A: First I played basketball for a year at Northern, and then I transferred to MSU for track. I competed in the high jump and pole vault, and did the decathlon my sophomore year. I cleared 7-4fi in the high jump to take fourth place at the NCAA indoor championships in 1991 and earn All-America honors.
Q: Did you have any Olympic dreams?
A: I think all athletes do. The decathlon was my best shot. I took eighth place at the U.S. championships in 1994 in Knoxville, Tenn., after training for only one year. But I just didn't love it enough to move somewhere to train and dedicate my life to it.
Q: How did you get into art?
A: I'm self-taught; I didn't have any training at all. My friend Mark Gibson and I got together - we both had an interest in art - and decided to open up the (Gibson, Schweyen and Englund) gallery in July 2005. It's located right in downtown Missoula on Broadway and Higgins.
Q: How is the gallery going?
A: It's going good. It was a tough decision to go back to coaching. I worked hard to get my art career where it is, and I didn't want it to take a back seat. (UM athletics director) Jim O'Day and (associate athletics director) Jean Gee were kind about my situation, and I appreciate that.
Q: What made you decide to open the gallery?
A: I just love art. If I loved the decathlon like I love art, I wouldn't be an artist right now.
Q: What kind of artwork do you produce? What inspires you?
A: I paint landscapes, exclusively in oil paintings. And a little bit of wildlife. ... I really enjoy painting mountains and rivers, but some of the prairie landscapes are pretty amazing.
Q: Do you remember the first painting you sold?
A: I don't know if I do. I remember selling some pointillism drawings back in high school. I had four prints made. I didn't even think about painting back then.
Q: Will your daughters (Jordyn, 8, Shelby, 7, and Sheridan, 6) be basketball players or track athletes?
A: Who knows? It's up to them, you know, whatever they want to be. We're going to let them pick and decide. Our job is to keep them out of trouble, and that's going to be tough.
Q: You competed at Montana State. But being a coach at Montana and with Shannon as your wife, where do your allegiances lie - UM or MSU?
A: With the state of Montana. That's a tough call. I was inducted to the MSU Hall of Fame a couple of years ago, and I owe them a lot. I've given a lot of years to UM, and I really respect the school. It's tough.
But no matter what happens, I have to root for the Lady Griz. I like my pillow and my bed.
Q: Can you beat your wife in one-on-one?
A: The last time we played, I dunked on her for the final point to win it. She didn't talk to me for two hours after the game and we haven't played since. That was 14 years ago.
Lightning round
Favorite artist: Clyde Aspevig. He's recognized as one of the best landscapists around, possibly the greatest ever.
Favorite place to paint: Wherever there are no distractions.
Best athlete you've competed against: Dan O'Brien.
Favorite track and field event: I'll say high jump.
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