Converse and Murphy Make CSCAA Top-100 Coaches List

As a part of the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America's (CSCAA) Centennial Celebration, the association has named its list of 100 Greatest College Swimming & Diving Coaches of the past 100 years. Air Force's Casey Converse and Colleen Murphy have been selected to prestigious list.

Just over 500 coaches were nominated. A blue ribbon committee of fifty eight voters selected from 263 finalists, each focusing on a particular sport (swimming or diving) and Division. A steering committee consisting of Anne Goodman James, Peter Hovland, Bob Groseth, and Jon Lederhouse then vetted and finalized the selections.

Long-time Air Force swimming coach Keith "Casey" Converse spent 29 seasons coaching at the Academy. A 1976 US Olympian and NCAA Champion swimmer at the University of Alabama, Converse began his tenure in 1988 as the first civilian swim coach in Academy history. Following the move of Air Force women's teams to Division I in 1997, Converse focused his attention solely on coaching the women's team. Converse's teams have amassed a 309-205-2 (as of Dec. 9, 2016) dual meet record over 29 seasons, making him the winningest swimming coach in Academy history. Converse has coached 32 individuals who have earned NCAA Division I and II All-American honors 178 times. He has guided six athletes to 13 national titles and four relay teams to national titles, including the 1996 400 medley relay team that set a new NCAA Division II record.

Colleen Murphy is in her fifth season as head coach, ninth overall, with Air Force the women's swimming team in 2021-22. Since Murphy's arrival in 2012, the Falcons have broken every school record, had their highest ever finish in the Mountain West and their first ever Division I All-American. Murphy is the first female swimming coach to ever win a national championship (Truman State) as a coach and is just a handful of swimming coaches in the country, male or female, to win a national championship as a swimmer (Oakland, Mich.) and as a coach (Truman State). Under Murphy, Air Force has set 20 new top-10 all-time Academy bests. Murphy has also found the balance between athletics in academics, assisting the Falcons to a CSCAA NCAA Division I Scholar All-American Team honor.

The list includes well-known names like James "Doc" Counsilman and Eddie Reese, but also some lesser-known names like Clarion's Becky Rutt (with six AIAW titles) and Fletcher Guilders who led Ohio University for a quarter-century before becoming one of the pre-eminent diving coaches in Division III.

What ties them together, is a record of exceptional success vis-à-vis their peers. Collectively the coaches account for 346 NCAA and NAIA team titles plus an additional 260 individual diving titles. "The voters and committee really deserve a lot of credit for making performance the key criterion" explained CSCAA Executive Director Greg Earhart, adding, "they ensured that each of the three NCAA divisions and the NAIA were represented, yet made sure that a coach's selection was not simply a product of their longevity or service to the sport."

The CSCAA's 100th birthday celebration will continue with upcoming announcements recognizing Centennial MVP's for each team along with a listing of 100 Alumni of Impact. The anniversary will culminate with the Association's convention and awards banquet, May 2-4, 2022 in Rosemont, Illinois.

Founded in 1922, the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA), is the nation's first organization of college coaches. The mission of the CSCAA is to advance the sport of swimming and diving with coaches at the epicenter of leadership, advocacy, and professional development.

The CSCAA100 list of Greatest College Swimming and Diving Coaches is listed below in alphabetical order. For profiles on each selection visit www.cscaa.org/cscaa100

Randy Ableman (Miami (FL))
Pete Accardy (Cal State Northridge)
Arthur Albiero (Louisville)
Van Austin (Cal State Northridge)
Peter Avdoulas (Springfield)
Ron Ballatore (UCLA, Florida, Brown)
Sue Bassett (Union College (NY))
Jack Bauerle (Georgia)
Russ Bertram (Denison)
Hoble Billingsley (Indiana)
Jess Book (Kenyon)
MIke Bottom (Michigan)
Doug Boyd (UC San Diego, Rice)
Steve Bultman (Texas A&M)
Frank Busch (Arizona, Cincinnati)
Charles Butt (Bowdoin)
Carol Capitani (Texas)
Steve Collins (Southern Methodist)
Casey Converse (Air Force)
Frank Comfort (North Carolina, Johns Hopkins)
James Counsilman (Indiana, SUNY Cortland)
Peter Daland (Southern California)
Penny Dean (Pomona-Pitzer)
Liam Donnelly (Simon Fraser)
Jeff Dugdale (Queens (NC))
Don Duncan (Puget Sound)
Dave Durden (California, Maryland)
Don Easterling (NC State, UT-Arlington)
Larry Everingham (Cal State Bakersfield)
Jane Figueiredo (Houston)
Don Gambrill (Alabama, Cal State Long Beach)
Jim Gaughran (Stanford)
Fletcher Gilders (Kenyon, Ohio)
Anne Goodman-James (Arkansas, Cal State Hayward, Northern Michigan, Colorado College, Texas Tech)

Colleen Graham (UCLA)
George Haines (Stanford, UCLA)
David Hauck (Saint Olaf)
Hal Henning (North Central)
Jerry Hinsdale (UC Davis)
Braden Holloway (NC State)
Pete Hovland (Oakland)
Jon Howell (Emory, Kenyon)
Dave Hrovat (Clarion)
Harvey Humphries (Georgia)
Seth Huston (Truman State)
Tracy Huth (Oakland)
George Kennedy (Johns Hopkins)
Richard Kimball (Michigan)
Skip Kinney (Stanford)
Robert Kiphuth (Yale)
Claudia Kolb Thomas (Stanford)
Kris Kubik (Texas)
Steve Kuster (Williams)
Don Leas (Clarion)
Ray Looze (Indiana)
Ernie Maglischo (Arizona State, CSU Bakersfield, Chico State, Oakland, SUNY New Paltz)
Matt Mann (Michigan)
David Marsh (Auburn, UC San Diego)
Lea Mauer (Stanford)
Charles McCaffree (Michigan State, Iowa State)
Teri McKeever (California, Fresno State)
Greg Meehan (Stanford, Pacific)
Don Megerle (Tufts)
Paula Miller (Ithaca, Arkansas, Sacramento State)
Karen Moe (California)
Bill Mogan (UC San Diego)
Colleen Murphy (Truman State)

Nick Nichols (Amherst)
Ron O'Brien (Ohio State)
Vince Panzano (Ohio State, Tennessee)
Gregg Parini (Denison)
John Patnott (Hope)
Mike Peppe (Ohio State)
Sean Peters (Wayne State)
Mona Plummer (Arizona State)
Richard Quick (Stanford, Texas, Auburn)
Eddie Reese (Texas, Auburn)
Randy Reese (Florida)
Brian Reynolds (Drury)
Jim Richardson (Michigan)
Rick Rowland (California Baptist)
Becky Rutt (Clarion)
David Salo (Southern California)
Carl Samuelson (Williams)
Paul Savage (Simon Fraser)
Mark Schubert (Southern California, Texas)
Matt Scoggin (Texas)
Charles Silvia (Springfield)
Brad Snodgrass (MIT, Tufts, Boston University)
Adam Soldati (Purdue)
Gus Stager (Michigan)
Bob Steele (Cal State Bakersfield, Southern Illinois, Northwestern)
Jim Steen (Kenyon)
Jill Sterkel (Texas)
Mike Sutton (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps)
Nort Thornton (California)
Gregg Troy (Florida)
Jon Urbanchek (Michigan, Cal State Long Beach)
Tim Welsh (Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame)
Clark Yeager (Chico State)

Converse and Murphy Make CSCAA Top-100 Coaches List

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