Former US swim coach Richard Quick, who won 13 NCAA titles with three schools during a career that spanned four decades, has died of cancer. He was 66.
Auburn, where Richard Quick worked in his final years, said in a statement on its website that Quick, who coached men's and women's teams at the school, died on Wednesday. His family told the Austin American-Statesman that he died in Austin, Texas.
Quick was diagnosed in December with an inoperable brain tumour. "While he lost a valiant battle against a cruel disease, Richard was an inspiration to countless people who were touched by his steadfast faith and amazing courage in the face of tremendous adversity," Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs said in a statement from Auburn.
Quick won one title at Auburn, seven at Stanford and five at Texas. He also led the US Olympic teams in 1988, 1996 and 2000 and was an assistant coach at the 1984, 1992 and 2004 Games. Quick's women's teams at Texas won five straight titles from 1988-1988. The Stanford women's team won the title in his first year there in 1989. In 2009, Quick was named NCAA Coach of the Year for the sixth time.
"Richard will be remembered as one of the greatest coaches in the history of swimming, but more importantly, he will be remembered as a devoted and loving husband, father, grandfather and teacher," Jacobs said.
"Richard’s passing leaves a tremendous void, not only in the swimming community and the Auburn family, but to those individuals who he touched the most," Auburn coach Brett Hawke said. "It would be in Richard’s greatest honour to not dwell on his loss, but to celebrate his life and the characteristics he embodied, which were his perseverance, compassion and his humanity. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Richard’s family during this extremely difficult time."
Quick coached at Auburn from 1978-82 and returned there in 2007. In between, he coached the women's teams at Texas and Stanford. He also served as the men's head coach at Iowa State during the 1977-78 season and the women's head coach at SMU in 1976-77.
Richard Quick was born January 31, 1943 in Akron, Ohio. His most successful years as a coach was while head coach of the women's swim team at Stanford University, California, from 1988 through 2005. At the Sydney Olympics he led the women's team to sixteen medals. His most successful swimmer is hard to call. His pupils included Olympic champions Ambrose "Rowdy" Gaines, Steve Lundquist, Summer Sanders and Misty Hyman, while Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres were also among his charges.
Quick was a top swimmer himself at Highland Park High School (University Park, Texas) and Southern Methodist University where he made All-Southwest Conference. He is a member of SMU's Distinguished Alumni.
Down the years, Quick, always approachable and willing to talk about any aspect of the sport openly on the deck in my experience, was a fearless and outspoken anti-doping campaigner and faced up to questions when his own charges came under scrutiny at press conferences. In Atlanta in 1996, as US women's coach, Quick was among the first to suggest openly that Michelle Smith's performances were open to speculation. He described her progress as "off-the-chart". Four years later in Sydney he declared that the 2000 Games were "absolutely not a drugs-free meet".
Quick was a staunch defender of his athletes and denied that anything untoward had taken place at the Sydney Games when Hyman said in a press conference that she was taking "dozens" of tablets "every five minutes". The pills turned out to be mainly amino-acids given to her by oncologist Glen Luepnitz, who worked with Quick. The coach said that he believed that smart nutrition and a placebo effect had been at play in terms of any effect that Luepnitz's work had had on his swimmers. Later, the issue turned more controversial when Swimming World wrote this ;. No case was ever proved against Luepnitz.
Quick believed passionately in finding ways to outwit rivals but was opposed to the use of anything that enhanced the performance of a swimmer beyond what they were capable of only through talent, hard work and dedication.
A member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame, Quick also served as the men's head coach at Iowa State during the 1977-78 season and the women's head coach at Southern Methodist in 1976-77. Quick earned a Bachelor's degree in Physical Education (1965) and a Master's degree in Physiology of Exercise (1977) from Southern Methodist.
He began his coaching career at Houston's Memorial High School (1965-71), guiding his team to six state championships before returning to SMU, where he served as an assistant coach on the men's side for four years (1971-75) before starting the SMU women's program in 1976.
Quick is survived by his wife June, and children, Michael, Kathy, Tiffany and Benjamin, and grandchildren, Blake and Emily.
Memorial service plans will be announced when they become available.
Swimming will miss coach Richard Quick.