Arizona Swimming Coach Augie Busch Faces Allegations of Level I NCAA Violation

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

The University of Arizona was served with a Notice of Allegations by the NCAA that includes alleged violations by swimming coach Augie Busch.

The letter, which the university acknowledged receiving on Friday, includes nine allegations of misconduct. Five of them are Level I violations, the highest level, which include a lack of institutional control and the university’s failure to monitor programs. Busch and men’s basketball coach Sean Miller were each accused of lack of control, according to a report by The Athletic. Busch’s involvement in the investigation was one of the new details unearthed by the report.

Busch was named the head coach of the University of Arizona in July 2017. After eight seasons as a Wildcats assistant to his father and fellow Arizona alum, Frank Busch, Augie Busch branched out to serve as the women’s head coach at Houston from 2011-13 and the head coach at Virginia from 2013-17.

Arizona’s outside counsel requested that the case by referred to the NCAA’s Independent Accountability Resolution Process, created in 2018 but not yet utilized in any cases. The investigation into Miller dovetails with one being conducted on college basketball at large by the U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of New York. Arizona’s basketball infractions stem from the actions of assistant coach Book Richardson, who in 2017 was arrested along with assistants at three others schools and charged with wire fraud. (Richardson plead guilty to bribery and served three months.) Fellow assistant Mark Phelps was fired for his role in covering up the fraud.

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Ryan Guerra

3 years ago

This man should have never gotten this job. Augie never paid his dues, he wasn’t professional, nor was he qualified for the position. In addition, he had numerous red flags and baggage when the University of Arizona hired him. This has to be the dumbest athletic department in the country. I hope this is the end of the Busch nepotism in swimming.

Andy Gallion

3 years ago

Sounds like the AD needs to be show the door as well

Ryan Guerra

3 years ago

Words to live by for the Busch kids…https://youtu.be/mkoPq5AOCOA

Bryce

3 years ago

Innocent until proven guilty! Busch is a great man and one of the most terrific coaches in the sport that I’ve ever seen, anything else you say to suggest otherwise is just a smear.