Retired Deerfield Coach Receives Swimming Hall of Fame Induction
Coach Bob Steele
2016 ASCA Hall of Fame Inductee
Coaching Since: 1960
Bob Steele retired after coaching all skill levels of competitive swimmers during a forty-six year career. Formerly, he is a member of the USA Swimming Master Coach/Consultant program visiting teams with a high school swimmer in the world rankings.
He has coached championship teams at the summer league, high school, (Peoria Richwoods and Deerfield, IL), club teams (Justus Aquatics, FL and Wichita S.C., KS) and university levels (Northwestern, Southern Illinois, and Cal. State-Bakersfield) during which time he had All-Americans at all levels. He has had 19 swimmers world ranked in 41events and coached two American Record holders.
His collegiate teams won five NCAA II National Championships in seven years at Cal. State-Bakersfield. His SIU teams won the National Independent Championships six times and finished in the NCAA I Top Twenty ten times. His swimmers have competed in the Pan Ams, World Championships, Olympic Games, Sports Festivals, and represented the USA in International Meets. Bob was the Aquatics Director at the Orlando International Aquatic Center hosting 12 national aquatic championships, World Games Team Trials and many Florida Swimming events.
He served USA Swimming as the Director of Athlete and Coach Development for nine years initiating and overseeing such programs as: Select Camps, Outreach Camps, Coaches Colleges, OTC Aquatic Center development, National Championships, Olympic Festivals, the Training Design Handbook, Stroke Posters, Lane lines Newsletter, and more.
Bob has lectured on swimming throughout the USA and many foreign countries. Coach Steele made presentations at coaching clinics, and operated the Winning Spirit Racing Camps for teams throughout the country. The focus at team camps were the ingredients of swimming success: skill, fitness, motivation.
His foundation for recruiting, retention and improvement centers around fun, motivation, and using the science of swimming to help kids "be the best they can be." His book is a testimonial to having fun, being the Pied Piper who turns kids out for practices and keeps them practicing because they enjoy being with the Pied Piper.
Bob's coaching philosophy is: ""it's not what you do, but how you do it" and "if it's fun to watch, it's fun to do." Former swimmer, Roger VonJouanne termed "Steele training" as "distracted pain." So coaches entertain yourself and your swimmers with Games-Gimmicks-Challenges for Swimming Coaches.
Career moments of pride: having 55 lifetime bests of 60 swims at NCAA II's, the last meet we coached, having seen so many swimmers improve to swim FAST, and having had a positive effect on so many young people's lives through competitive swimming.
Coach Steele is an ASCA Level 5 certified coach with extensive international experience, Master of the American Federation consultant (USA Swimming) and official speaker of ASCA, having already taught clinics LEVEL ASCA 1 and 2 International in Egypt, Dubai, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Antigua, Colombia, Mexico, and regularly in Ecuador and Brazil
"My career focus has been to help other teams and my swimmers, coaches, parents and BOD's, "be the best they can be." I hope my legacy is: training FUN and ACCUTRAINING along with developing personal traits, values and skills that help every person reach a higher level! Coach Hard n' Swim FAST."