Colorado College Volleyball Head Coach Rick Swan Announces Spring Retirement

Posted: Aug 28, 2020

(Story from Colorado College Athletics Communications)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Rick Swan, wo guided the Colorado College Tigers to a 579-175 overall record, 22 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship, and a consistent place in the upper echelon of the American Volleyball Coaches Association's Division III Coaches Top 25 Poll, announced his plan to retire at the conclusion of the 2020-21 academic year.

"I am very fortunate to have coached this great game of volleyball for 30 years, including the last 22 at Colorado College," Swan said. "I love this school, I love my players and I love and appreciate everything they did for me, my staff and my program.

"The decision to retire after this season was extremely difficult, but I feel it is the right time for me to move on to the next chapter of my life. I want to thank everyone at Colorado College who believed in me, coached with me and supported our volleyball program for so many years. It's been an awesome ride."

Retirement often is romanticized as sailing into the sunset, and that is exactly what Swan and his wife, Beth, plan to do. The Swans will relocate to the Caribbean island of St. Maarten, where they will own a beach restaurant and bar and help develop youth volleyball programs on the island.

"Having had the opportunity of taking our teams on many international trips to the Caribbean, my wife and I have always talked about moving to the islands upon retirement," Swan said. "We have made many friends on the island of St Maarten, especially in their volleyball community, and I look forward to the new challenges and adventures.

"However, I am still very excited about the opportunity to coach this amazing group of young women one more season. I know they are looking forward to getting back on the court, training as a team again and preparing for our conference season this spring."

Swan's most recent campaign in 2019 may go down as one of the best coaching performances of his career. Despite a rash of injuries that sidelined three starters for more than 50 combined matches, he led the Tigers to a 32-5 record, a trip to the regional final of the NCAA Tournament, and a No. 8 ranking in the final AVCA poll. Swan also picked up career victory No. 600 with a sweep of Randolph-Macon College on Oct. 11.

CC posted 30 or more victories nine times during the last 11 seasons, while dropping double-digit matches only once. Swan's victory total and .767 winning percentage both are program records.

Including a two-year stint as head coach at Webster University in St. Louis, Swan's 612 career victories and .740 winning percentage rank 15th and 20th, respectively, among active Division III coaches.

"As the most successful volleyball coach in the history of CC, we look forward to the opportunity to celebrate Rick's legacy and contributions throughout this year," Colorado College Vice President and Director of Athletics Lesley Irvine said. "We all hope there is the opportunity for Rick to coach a few more matches this spring. I am proud to have worked alongside Rick this past year and I know I join many who are incredibly proud of his achievements since being here at Colorado College."

In 2009, Swan guided CC to a 35-5 mark and the program's first and only appearance in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, where the Tigers fell to eventual national champion Washington University in four sets. Colorado College advanced to the Elite 8 by posting five-set victories over West Region rivals California Lutheran University and the University of La Verne.

CC finished that season ranked No. 7 in the final AVCA poll, one of six times the Tigers finished a year in the Top 10.

In 2017, Colorado College earned the program's first No. 1 ranking and finished the campaign with a 33-2 record, setting a program single-season record with a .943 winning percentage. During the regular season, the Tigers posted a 7-0 mark against nationally-ranked opponents, including a sweep of Calvin College for the program's first-ever victory over an opponent ranked No. 1 at the time of the match.

That year, Swan recorded CC victory No. 500 with a sweep at Texas Lutheran University, which also set the program record with 18 consecutive wins to begin a campaign.

The Tigers capped the regular season by claiming the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season title with a 14-0 record. That mark included a pair of victories over Southwestern University and Trinity University, both of which were ranked in the top five on the dates of the matches.

In recognition of those accomplishments, Swan was named the AVCA's West Region Coach of the Year for the second time in his career, having previously received the honor in 2011.

Since taking the reins of the program, eight of Swan's players have combined for 13 AVCA All-America certificates, including Sara Boyles (2001), Emily Perkins (2009-10), Courtney Birkett (2015), Abby Holtze (2015-16) and Lizzy Counts (2017), who earned first-team honors. In addition, 17 Tigers have earned a total of 31 all-region honors during his tenure.

Swan's rate of success is even more impressive in the SCAC, winning almost 90 percent of his matches with a 161-23 record. During its 13 seasons in the conference, Colorado College has won or shared six regular-season and five postseason championships. In the last 10 years, the Tigers have never finished lower than third in the regular-season standings or at the conference tournament.

During Swan's tenure, Colorado College players have been regular recipients of SCAC recognitions, earning 27 first-team selections and 19 second-team honors since joining the conference in 2007. At the same time, CC has won all four of the conference's major awards, including Swan being chosen Coach of the Year five times by his peers.

Swan also has established a tradition of academic excellence within the program. During his career, Colorado College has earned the AVCA Team Academic Award 14 times, including each of the last seven years. With 16 total awards, CC is tied for 15th all-time in Division III and ranks first in the SCAC.

Five Tigers earned six total CoSIDA Academic all-District honors, including Meryn Grant, who was named an Academic All-American as a junior in 2006.

Swan's contributions to the sport extend to the regional and national levels, having served several terms on the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee and NCAA National Committee, as well as the AVCA's All-America Selection Committee and Coaches Committee.

The Swans have three daughters – Mackenzie, Jocelyn and Laney (CC Class of '21).