BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Former University of Cincinnati/University of Arizona head coach and USA Swimming National Team Director Frank Busch has a connection to water polo as the Hall of Fame coach was part of the Loyola University Chicago teams from 1969-to-1973.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on February 4, 1951 and a 1969 graduate of Covington Catholic High School in 1969, Busch achieved success on both the collegiate and international levels.
The 2018 recipient of the Paragon Award in Competitive Swimming fro the International Swimming Hall of Fame, Busch left Arizona in 2011 to take over as the National Team Director for USA Swimming from 2011 through 2017. Prior to that appointment, Busch had a 31-year coaching career, leading his collegiate and club teams to national championships seasons.
A member of the Loyola swimming/water polo programs from 1969-73, Busch was a member of the inaugural water polo team from Loyola to make the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship. A 2020 inductee to the Loyola Hall Athletics Hall of Fame, he was a member of the 1972 team which advanced to the NCAA Championship and faced San Jose State University (21-6 L) and host the University of New Mexico (17-12 L) at the Armand H. Seidler Natatorium in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Busch began his coaching career at age 16 in Edgewood, Kentucky. After seven years in summer league coaching at Brookwood Swim Club and four years of Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) coaching for the Northern Kentucky Piranhas, he joined the staff of the Cincinnati Marlins, a non-profit, USA Swimming–affiliated swim team based in Cincinnati, for the 1979–80 season as the Associate Head Coach. The Marlins won the National Team Championship that season and placed six swimmers on the 1980 United States Olympic Team.
He then carved out an accomplished career as a NCAA Division I head coach at the University of Cincinnati (1980-89) and the University of Arizona (1989-2011). While at Arizona, his student-athletes won 48 individual NCAA titles and 31 relay titles. In 2008, Busch guided both the Arizona men and women’s swimming teams to NCAA Championship titles. A six-time NCAA Division I Coach of the Year and 11-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year, Busch was also recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and USA Swimming with Coach of the Year awards.
While at Arizona, he guide the Wildcats’ men’s and women’s programs to a combined 25 Top Five finishes in the nation. Further, he also led Tucson Ford Aquatics (previously Hillenbrand Aquatics) to several national team championships.
After 31 years of college coaching, Busch became the National Team Director of USA Swimming (2011-17) and led the Team USA campaigns that earned 31 medals at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and 33 medals at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
During his coaching years, Busch was named to numerous coaching staffs for USA Swimming, including Athens 2004, and Beijing 2008. In addition to his contributions to American swimming, Busch has coached athletes from over a dozen other countries to international success.
A 2008 inductee to the American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA) Hall of Fame to go along with Arizona Hall of Fame and Pima County Sports Hall of Fame inductions, Busch was responsible for providing the overall vision and leadership for the USA’s top coaches and athletes as National Team Director for USA Swimming . He was directly involved with developing talent, mentoring coaches, and managing international relations efforts. In London 2012, Busch led a successful campaign with 31 medals, and 33 medals at the Rio Olympics in 2016. In both of these summer games, USA Swimming’s success represented 30% of team USA’s total medal count.
