Rich DeSelm To Lead UNC Swimming & Diving Program
Tuesday, June 20, 2006 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Rich DeSelm, an assistant coach at the University of Florida for the past six years will take over as the head coach for the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill men's and women's swimming and diving program in 2007.
DeSelm, 49, will serve as head coach designate in 2006-07 and become the head coach when Frank Comfort retires after the season. Comfort, the winningest dual swim meet coach in college history, announced on April 28 that he would step down after his 30th season as UNC's head coach.
“North Carolina has a great candidate to be its next head coach,” Florida head coach Gregg Troy said. “Rich did an outstanding job here and he will be missed by all of us at the University of Florida.”
DeSelm was an All-American swimmer in Chapel Hill from 1974-78 and earned a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1978. Ten years later, he earned a master degree in liberal studies from Duke. He left Carolina in 1993 to become the head coach at Davidson, where he spent seven years.
“This is an exciting opportunity for me to coach at my alma mater, a school for which I have so much respect,” DeSelm said. “The University of North Carolina is a fantastic place in so many different ways. I appreciate the confidence Dick Baddour, Beth Miller and Coach Comfort have shown in asking me to lead this program forward. I am most excited about returning to Chapel Hill and getting to work with the Tar Heel student-athletes and becoming a member of the University and local communities.”
“I want to thank Coach (Gregg) Troy, my colleagues on our staff and all the people here in Gainesville who have helped me and made it a rewarding six years at the University of Florida.”
DeSelm and his wife, Tracy, have two children, Grant (10) and Claire (8). He is a native of Knoxville, Tenn., and graduated from The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla.
Florida will immediate begin a nationwide search for DeSelm's replacement. The new assistant coach to join a swimming staff that includes associate head coaches Anthony Nesty, Martyn Wilby and assistant Hollie Bonewit.
