Brad Glenn Remembered for a Life in Service to Swimming
Editor’s note: Swimming World welcomes tributes and memories from those who knew Brad Glenn. A memorial form link can be found throughout this article for readers who would like to share a message.
Brad Glenn, a longtime swimming leader whose career touched coaching, club development, marketing, and coach education, passed away on March 22 at the age of 77, just one week after his birthday.
Across decades in the sport, Glenn built a reputation as a steady, respected presence — someone who understood swimming from nearly every angle and remained committed to it for life.
Born in Philadelphia on March 15, 1949, and raised in New Jersey, Glenn emerged early as a standout swimmer. He attended St. Andrew’s School in Boca Raton, where he was a high school All-American, then began his college career at Southern Illinois before transferring to the University of Maryland. At Maryland, he captained the swim team, earned All-ACC honors, and graduated in 1972 with a degree in marketing.
Ocean City, NJ Lifeguards 1972
His connection to the sport did not end with college. Glenn continued competing as a masters swimmer and went on to become an All-American as well as a national and world record holder.
Brad’s roots in South Jersey swimming also ran deep.
Jersey Wahoos history identifies Glenn among the Sea Jays graduates who advanced to the AAU Senior National Championships, placing him among the region’s standout swimmers of his era.
A Legacy Far Beyond a Swimming Career
Over the years, he coached age-group and collegiate swimmers across the country, with stops that included the Puerto Rican National Team, Mission Viejo Nadadores, Huntsville Swimming Association, Greater Tampa Swimming Association, and the University of Tampa. In Puerto Rico, he served as head national coach for the Pan American and Central American Games, a reflection of both his technical knowledge and his leadership on an international stage.
As his career evolved, Glenn also became a familiar and influential figure on the business and organizational side of aquatics. He founded Glenn Marketing, worked with The Finals sportswear, served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Dolfin Swimwear, and was co-director of the International Coaches Clinic. Later, he served as Vice President of Marketing for the International Swim Coaches Association, helping support coaches and strengthen connections across the sport.
Compassionate and Soulful
That range made Glenn unusual in the best way.
Few were more compassionate about the sport we love. He understood swimming as an athlete, a coach, a communicator, a relationship-builder, and a promoter of the sport. You could count on him to connect the many parts of swimming in uniquely beneficial ways: club programs, coaches, brands, clinics, national-team experiences, and the broader community that keeps the sport moving forward.
The public remembrances that followed his passing reflected that same picture. Friends and colleagues remembered him as someone who showed up, helped others, and remained deeply loyal to the sport and the people in it.
Brad Glenn is survived by his wife, Mary Lynn; children Erin, Robby, and Tommy; grandchildren Lily, Piper, Cooper, and Theo; siblings Tim, Matt, and Lisa; and many friends and colleagues throughout the swimming world.
Swimming World extends its condolences to the Glenn family and to all those in the swimming community who knew him. His life in the sport was long, broad, and meaningful. Brad Glenn left an imprint that remains in the swimmers he coached, the coaches he supported, and the institutions he helped strengthen.