Rick Swan (Colorado College) to Retire

Coach Swan, head coach of the Colorado College volleyball team, has announced his retirement effective after the 2020-21 academic year. Coach Swan has guided Colorado College for the last 22 years reaching the NCAA Tournament in EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR.

That’s it. Nothing more to write after that, right? Now, I could say something snide about the 2014 season when his team was regionally ranked behind Southwestern but still got in despite Southwestern not receiving a bid. I could, but I won’t. I’m just too nice of a guy.

In all seriousness, what an accomplishment and what a coaching career that will be ending next year. Making a program a national powerhouse is something special every coach hopes to achieve. His retirement article says that Coach Swan and his wife will head down to St. Maarten to run a beach restaurant and bar and help develop youth volleyball programs. He has, in the past, taken his teams to the Caribbean and worked with youth players there so this isn’t a huge surprise that he would want to continue those efforts.

The Swans have three daughters with their youngest (Laney) due to graduate from Colorado College next year. Seems like the perfect time to make the move.

Coach Swan has always been nice to me despite my joking about his occasionally abuse of clipboards. I’m sure he won’t hold that against me (or that second paragraph) when I come down to visit for a month or so.

I do send my best wishes to Coach Swan and his entire family on his pending retirment.

In a related note, one of the best jobs in DIII coaching will now open up. It will be interesting to see how the school decides to fill the position.

(To be clear…the 2014 Colorado College team ABSOLUTELY deserved their NCAA bid. They were a national power that year.)