Getting to 100

By Greg Earhart

Distilling the “100 Greatest” college swimming and diving coaches of the past century is an effort that lies somewhere between Herculean and Sisyphean.  

Whether you agree with the list or not our executive committee of Pete Hovland, Bob Groseth, Anne Goodman James and Jon Lederhouse and Blue Ribbon committee of sixty-some voters deserve a lot of credit for taking it on.  Early on in the process they sought to ensure that the list recognized those who succeeded at the highest levels vis-a-vis their peers. They labored to ensure that the list would not reflect the good old boys network of those who coached the longest or served on the most committees.  For the most part, I think they pulled it off. As evidence, Ed Kennedy, the man who founded the CSCAA and coached at Columbia for forty-five years, didn’t make it.

This list is sure to engender debate, disgust and hopefully a couple of contract re-negotiations.  It also highlights a couple of challenges our sport faces.  The first is that of exclusivity.  The simple fact is not every program has the resources to compete for a championship. That could mean an absence of scholarships or inability to retain a coach over an extended period of time, but the simple fact is in the past 100 years, only eighty five coaches have ever led a team to a national collegiate title and only forty-seven schools have an NCAA, NAIA, AIAW or DGWS - championship trophy in their trophy case. 

Looking beyond national titles, it makes sense to ask - what about conference championships? There were at least a dozen coaches with 30+ conference titles and no top-ten finishes.  How do they fit in and further, how should they be judged compared to similar coaches at schools with virtually no record of their success?  Dual meets? They matter tremendously to some, but not at all to others and even if you fall into the former, it's almost impossible to come up with a complete and accurate record (though, I’m reasonably sure Ed Gurka tops the list with 779).  For a sport as rooted in times and medals as swimming and diving, we suffer from a dearth of archived history.  

I say this not to justify any selections or omissions, but rather to offer some perspective on the process.  As Bob Groseth noted, “There are many not on the list that are deserving but not any on the list that aren’t deserving.” If you find yourself asking, “Who IS this person?” click on their name to learn about them.  If you find yourself offended that your coach was left out?  Then go to social media and tell the world why they’re so great.  Better yet - let them (or their family) know what an impact they’ve made on your life.