A Quiet Voice, A Strong Presence, Ganley Selected for Lifetime Achievement Award
Terry Ganley, the longest-tenured coach in University of Minnesota history, has been selected to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Executive Board of the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association (CSCAA). Ganley will be recognized at the 61st Annual CSCAA College Swimming & Diving Awards on May 2nd, in Rosemont, Illinois.
Ganley began her career with her hometown Gophers as a freshman in 1973. By the end of her competitive career she had become Minnesota’s first female All-American in any sport. After that she embarked on a forty-four year career highlighted by seven Big Ten titles, fifteen individual NCAA titles, and nearly 300 All-American honors.
As her career grew, so did Ganley’s stature, not because of her positions or awards, but rather by her role as a trusted mentor and confidant to generations of coaches and swimmers. This became especially evident before and during the 2020-21 season, one of the most turbulent, and unsettling in Gopher history. That summer, Ganley’s hometown of Minneapolis was rocked following the murder of George Floyd. In a season of turbulence, Ganley offered the team a steadying voice amidst the riots, ongoing pandemic and uncertainty. “She was thoughtful, steady, measured, and full of pain and vulnerability as she spoke to our team during stay-at-home orders,” explained then assistant coach Jesse Moore. As she spoke about members of her family, many of whom are first responders and multi-racial, Ganley “Left lasting words of human behavior, decency, and emotion during a time our student-athletes needed us.”
Ganley retired following the 2020-21 season, a year capped by Max McHugh and Sarah Bacon winning NCAA Championships.
Previous Recipients
2020 - Rick Walker, Southern Illinois
2019 - Nancy Bigelow, Tufts University
2018 - John Patnott, Hope College & Jon Lederhouse, Wheaton College
2017 - Bev Ball, McMurray University
2016 - George Kennedy, Johns Hopkins
2014 - Jon Urbanchek, Michigan
2013 - Skip Kenney, Stanford
2012 - Jim Steen, Kenyon College
2011 - Susan Teeter, Princeton
2010 - Nort Thornton, California & Peter Daland, Southern California
2009 - Richard Quick, Auburn
