BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Former Macalester College head swimming & diving/men’s & women’s collegiate club/women’s varsity water polo head coach Bob Pearson was selected as part of the 21-person College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Hall of Fame Class of 2026, the organization announced today. Pearson and the other inductees will officially be inducted into the CSCAA Division III Hall of Fame during the CSCAA Annual Awards Celebration on May 3, 2026 in Chicago, Ill., at the Loews Chicago as a part of the CSCAA’s annual meetings.
The head swimming & diving coach a Macalester from September 1989-to-December 2010, his athletes broke 168 school records, posted 69 All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) performances and garnered 21 All-America citations. Pearson was selected the MIAC Coach of the Year four times on the women’s side and once on the men’s side.
Beyond coaching, Pearson has made many contributions to the sport by serving on multiple organizational boards in support of swimming and diving. He served on the Board of Directors for the CSCAA and was a member of the NCAA Swimming & Diving Rules Committee, serving as Chair from 2005-07. He also chaired USA Swimming’s Safety Education Committee from 2001-03, and has been a long-time member of the Minnesota Swimming Board of Directors. In 2006, Pearson received the CSCAA’s Richard E. Steadman Award, which recognizes a college, high school or club coach who has done the most to spread happiness in the sport.
The founding coach of the Macalester men’s collegiate club and women’s collegiate club teams, he helped guide the women’s club program to varsity status prior to stepping down as the water polo coach in 2008. During his tenure, he led the Scots’ men’s water polo club team to the Heartland Division title in 1999, 2000, 2005 and 2006 following a Great Lakes Division crown in 1997. In women’s club competition, the Macalester captured the 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2004 Heartland Division titles with runner-up finishes in 2002 and 2005. For his efforts, Pearson was recognized as Coach of the Year in both men’s collegiate club (1998 – Great Lakes; 1999, 2000, 2004 – Heartland) and women’s collegiate club (2001, 203, 2004 – Heartland) competition.
Following his tenure at Macalester, Pearson served as the Aquatics Director at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minn., from November 2010-to-July 2012 prior to serving as an assistant swimming & diving coach specializing in sprints at Long Island University-CW Post campus in Brookville, N.Y., from September 2013-to-November 2015.
A former swimming coach at Anoka High School in Anoka, Minn., Pearson has served as Director Of Coaching for
A native of Anoka, Minn., Pearson attended Hamline University, where he was an All-MIAC swimmer before graduating in 1985. He later earned a Master’s degree in Athletic Administration from St. Thomas.
Samantha Barany, Executive Director of the CSCAA, reflected on the significance of this year’s class. “Congratulations to the 2026 Division III Hall of Fame class. This recognition honors swimmers, divers, and coaches whose exceptional careers have made a lasting impact on Division III swimming and diving. We celebrate these inductees not only for their achievements in competition but for the meaningful contributions they’ve made to their programs, their communities, and the sport as a whole.”
