North Carolina Head Coach Rich DeSelm to Step Down as Head Coach to Treat Cancer-Related Mass

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Photo Courtesy: Sarah D. Davis/theACC.com

Rich DeSelm, an All-America swimmer as a Tar Heel and member of the University of North Carolina’s swimming and diving coaching staff for nearly 30 years, is stepping down as UNC’s head coach.

“I am announcing today that this will be my final season as the head swimming coach at the University of North Carolina,” says DeSelm, who is in his 12th season as head coach of the Tar Heels. “This decision is not an easy one. I love UNC, our teams and the athletic department. Working at my alma mater is an honor. While I would like nothing more than to continue to work hard toward bringing our teams back to a championship level, it is time for someone else to lead that effort.

“Recent medical testing has shown I have a cancer-related mass that will require surgery later this month. I’ve dealt with previous medical situations and I know from those experiences the significant amount of mental and physical toll this will take. Our teams need energetic leadership at a level that I simply will not be able to provide.”

DeSelm has led UNC’s men’s and women’s teams to 17 top-three ACC finishes and 16 top-30 finishes at the NCAA Championships, and trained 53 All-Americas and 26 ACC champions during his tenure as head coach.

“On behalf of the University of North Carolina, I want to thank Rich, Tracy, and their family, for the significant contributions they have made to our program,” says Bubba Cunningham, UNC’s Director of Athletics. “Rich has positively impacted UNC for 32 years as an accomplished student-athlete, team captain, assistant coach and, for the last dozen years, head coach. Rich has trained and mentored hundreds upon hundreds of student-athletes who have succeeded in the pool, and have excelled in the classroom and our community. Rich’s primary focus at this time must be on his physical well-being and I applaud his selfless decision to think of the impact his personal battle may have on the time needed to direct our swimming and diving program. I know Rich will be Carolina Swimming and Diving’s biggest fan as we move forward.”

“I would like to thank the many swimmers and divers I have enjoyed coaching who have represented UNC and dedicated themselves to excellence,” says DeSelm. “I am proud of our teams’ and our individual swimmers’ and divers’ many accomplishments. I love striving to reach our goals and appreciate all who worked hard to achieve their best. The most rewarding aspect of this job, which I will greatly miss, is working with student-athletes as they strive to excel, in and out of the pool. Although our teams have not competed of late at the level we all want to be, we still have had some terrific success at ACC, NCAA, National and International meets. I am even more proud of the student-athletes’ academic successes, community engagement and loyalty to UNC after graduation.

“I would also like to thank Bubba Cunningham, Larry Gallo and Sue Walsh for their leadership and support of Carolina Swimming and Diving and me personally. There are countless others to thank, too, including: my colleagues in the athletic department, the great coaches in all of our sports; my staffs – past and present; my college coaches, Frank Comfort, Jim Wood and Rob Dickson; former administrators at UNC, especially Dick Baddour and Dr. Beth Miller, and; our team parents and alumni.”

DeSelm earned All-America honors as a distance freestyler and captained Comfort’s first UNC team in 1978. He spent 15 seasons as Comfort’s assistant, helping the Tar Heels win 14 ACC titles. From 1993-2000 he was the head coach at Davidson, where the Wildcats won seven Southern States championships; and from 2000 to 2006 he was an assistant coach at Florida. The Gators had more than 300 All-America performances and posted seven top-five finishes at the NCAA Championships during his tenure. He returned to Chapel Hill as the head coach designate in 2006, and the Tar Heel women won the ACC title in 2007.

From 2010-12, he led the UNC men to three consecutive top-15 finishes at the NCAA Championships, the program’s best three-year finish since 1955-57. The women placed 12th at NCAAs in 2013, one of eight top-20 finishes under DeSelm.

“I am honored to have served the University as a student-athlete, assistant coach and head coach,” says DeSelm. “I will always do whatever I can to support UNC and, specifically, the swimming and diving teams and coaches. Carolina Swimming & Diving can and will thrive in the near future. My family and I have been blessed to have had a wonderful experience here and look forward to watching the Tar Heels again have great success in the pool.”

Rich DeSelm coached on the U.S. National Team in 2014, 2016 and won ACC Women’s Coach of the Year honors in 2012 and 2013. He was head coach for Team USA at the 2011 World University Games in China; assistant coach for Team USA at the 2017 Open Water World Championships; head manager in the 1997 and 1999 Pan Pacific Championships and 1995 Pan Am Games; and assistant manager for U.S. Swimming at the 2000 Olympics and 2004 FINA Short Course Worlds.

Notable individual achievements for swimmers who trained with DeSelm include: Yann deFabrique, a 1992 French Olympian; Tyler Harris, who was third at the 2011 NCAA meet in the 400 IM and medaled in the World University Games; Joe Kinderwater, who earned first-team All-America honors in each of his four seasons in the 1650 Free and was a finalist at the Olympic Trials and World Championship Trials; Tom Luchsinger, who won the 2013 U.S. title in the 200 Fly and swam on the U.S. World Championship team; Stephanie Peacock, who was the 2012 NCAA champion in the 1650 Free, broke Janet Evans’ NCAA record and medaled at the World University Games; Chip Peterson, who was fifth in the 25K at the 2017 Open Water World Championships; and Ashley Twichell, who won the 5K and finished second in the 5000m relay at the 2017 Open Water World Championships.

“It’s difficult to see Rich’s coaching career at Carolina be cut short due to a health concern, but he should be proud of all that he has accomplished,” says Sue Walsh, an 11-time NCAA champion swimmer and longtime member of the Rams Club executive staff. “So many of his student-athletes have developed into outstanding young men and women who impact their communities in a positive way because of the lessons of integrity, determination and toughness that they learned through Rich’s leadership and example. Rich focused on developing the full person, not just the champion swimmer or diver. His presence on the deck will be sorely missed, but his legacy will continue to impact all those who represent UNC Swimming & Diving now and in the future.”

Assistant coach Christy Garth will serve as interim head coach while a national search is conducted to identify the new head coach. During the search, assistant coach Mike Blum will oversee the men’s team and assistant coach Sean Quinn will direct the women’s team.

— The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with North Carolina Swimming and Diving. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com.

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David Horton
5 years ago

Best wishes on a speedy recovery

Anonymous
Anonymous
5 years ago
Reply to  David Horton

My thoughts and prayers are with you. Never quit, you are a winner.
Ray Scharf
ECU Swimming

Ric Joline
5 years ago

prayers coming coach!

Fred Ciarla
5 years ago

NOT ALWAYS THE BEST NEWS BUT YOU CAN MEET IT HEAD ON. STAY POSITIVE AS I HAVE REMEMBERED YOU AND KEEP LOOKING FORWARD. GOOD LUCK AND OUR PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

FRED CIARLA

Charlene Tallen
5 years ago

I hope you have a successful, speedy and full recovery good sir.

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