Anne Goodman James Selected for 2025 CSCAA Lifetime Achievement Award
Longtime Colorado College Head Coach, Anne Goodman James is the 2025 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.
February 5, 2025 – CSCAA proudly celebrates the remarkable career of Anne Goodman James, a trailblazer in collegiate swimming and diving and one of the sport’s most accomplished and respected coaches.
Anne Goodman James has dedicated over 40 years to collegiate swimming and diving, earning a reputation as a leader, innovator, and advocate for student-athletes. Her career spans multiple institutions, where she has elevated programs to new heights while mentoring countless athletes and coaches.
Retiring last year as the Head Swimming & Diving Coach at Colorado College, Goodman James led the Tigers since 2007, steering the program to unprecedented success. Under her guidance, Colorado College consistently excelled in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), earning numerous conference championships and individual accolades. Goodman James is celebrated not only for her coaching acumen but also for her ability to foster a culture of academic and athletic excellence. Her student-athletes regularly achieved All-America honors while excelling in the classroom, embodying the true spirit of collegiate athletics.
A 1975 graduate of Texas Tech University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in physical education, Goodman James went on to coach the swimming teams at her alma mater (1976–80 and 1982–86), as well as at California State University, Hayward (1980–81), Northern Michigan University (1986–96), and the University of Arkansas (1996–2006). She produced 99 All-Americans, 29 national champions, and countless NCAA qualifiers at these five schools. While at Northern Michigan, where she also served as Assistant Athletic Director for five years (1991–96), she was twice named NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year (1988 and 1991). She was also named Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year three times (1990, 1991, and 1992) and was inducted into the NMU Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the 2007 class.
Goodman James, who also holds a master's degree from Indiana University, is a former president (1993–95) of the College Swimming Coaches Association of America and a recipient of the CSCAA Steadman Award for contributions to the sport and her athletes. She served on the NCAA Swimming and Diving Committee from 1987–94 and again from 2007–13.
Beyond her impressive coaching résumé, Goodman James has been a fierce advocate for the sport, contributing her expertise to the CSCAA and other organizations. She has championed diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, ensuring that collegiate swimming and diving provide opportunities for all athletes. Her leadership extends to mentoring young coaches, shaping the future of the profession.
Goodman James’s impact has been recognized through numerous honors, including multiple CSCAA Coach of the Year awards and her induction into the CSCAA Hall of Fame. These accolades underscore her dedication to the sport and her profound influence on collegiate swimming and diving.
Anne Goodman James’s career is defined not just by wins and championships, but by the lives she has touched and the legacy she continues to build. Her unwavering commitment to her athletes, her passion for the sport, and her leadership within the swimming community make her a true icon in collegiate athletics.
CSCAA members can register for the 64th Annual Meetings and Awards Celebration at www.cscaa.org/meetings. All registrations include a ticket to the Award Ceremony at the Marriott Crabtree.
Previous Recipients
2024 - Dennis Dale, University of Minnesota 2023 - Jack Bauerle, University of Georgia 2022 - Terry Ganley, University of Minnesota
2021 - Rick Walker, Southern Illinois University
2019 - Nancy Bigelow, Tufts University
2018 - John Patnott, Hope College & Jon Lederhouse, Wheaton College
2017 - Bev Ball, McMurray University
2016 - George Kennedy, Johns Hopkins University
2014 - Jon Urbanchek, University of Michigan
2013 - Skip Kenney, Stanford University
2012 - Jim Steen, Kenyon College
2011 - Susan Teeter, Princeton University
2010 - Nort Thornton, California & Peter Daland, Southern California
2009 - Richard Quick, Auburn University
About the CSCAA
Founded in 1922, the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) – the first organization of college coaches in America - is a professional organization of college swimming and diving coaches dedicated to serving and providing leadership for the advancement of the sport of swimming & diving at the collegiate level.