Steve Collins, former head coach of the SMU women’s swimming and diving team, has been awarded the prestigious National Collegiate and Scholastic Trophy. This award, voted on by the CSCAA’s membership, recognizes a coach who has made the greatest contribution to swimming as a competitive sport, and as a healthful, recreational activity in the province of undergraduate and scholastic education. Collins will be recognized at the 63rd Annual CSCAA Annual Awards on May 6th in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Collins emerged as a finalist alongside esteemed college coaches Anthony Nesty and Kirk Sanocki, representing an elite cohort in the coaching realm.
Anthony Nesty is currently in his 24th season with the Florida Gators. In addition to his tremendous success at the college ranks, Nesty will head to Paris this summer as the men’s head coach for Team USA.
Kirk Sanocki, the longtime head coach at Wingate University guided the Bulldogs to 534 All-American swims and 44 national championships. Sanocki was chair of the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championship Committee and served as the president of the CSCAA.
Collins, who served as head coach for 37 seasons at SMU, has left an indelible mark on the sport, and Southern Methodist University, shaping the lives of countless student-athletes and achieving remarkable success throughout his career. His accolades as head coach of the SMU Mustangs are numerous. As two-time NCAA Coach of the Year and 11-time conference Coach of the Year, Collins led the Mustangs to an impressive 17 conference championships and guided the team to 35 appearances at the NCAA Championships. Under his leadership, SMU earned 15 top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships, with nine of those finishes in the top five.
Throughout his tenure, Collins mentored a remarkable roster of student-athletes, with 61 individuals earning a total of 242 All-America honors and 98 relays being honored. His coaching prowess extended beyond the collegiate level, with 33 of his athletes representing their countries in nine different Olympic Games. Collins’ swimmers have achieved success on the international stage, earning medals at prestigious competitions such as the Olympic Games, World Championships, and Pan American Games.
Collins was named one of the CSCAA’s 100 Greatest College Swimming & Diving Coaches of the past 100 years in 2021, further solidifying his legacy as one of the sport’s most influential figures.
Prior to his tenure at SMU, Collins served as head coach of South Carolina, where he led the Gamecocks to two MCAC conference championships and six top-20 NCAA finishes in seven years. A graduate of Florida State University, Collins captained the Florida State swimming team during his collegiate career.
Steve Collins’ dedication, leadership, and passion for the sport of swimming have left an enduring mark on the collegiate athletics landscape. His receipt of the National Collegiate Scholastic Trophy serves as a testament to his extraordinary contributions to the sport and his unwavering commitment to the success and development of student-athletes.
CSCAA members can register for the 63rd Annual Meetings and Awards Celebration at www.cscaa.org/meetings. All Annual Meeting registrations include a ticket to the Award Ceremony. Questions can be directed to: all@cscaa.org
Previous CSCAA Recipients
2023 – Pete Hovland, Oakland University 2022 – Nic Askew, Howard University 2020 – Joel Shinofield, CSCAA/USA Swimming
2019 – Eddie Sinnott, Southern Methodist University
2018 – Peter Linn, Eastern Michigan University
2017 – Susan Teeter, Princeton & Kris Kubik, Texas
2016 – Gregg Wilson, UC-Santa Barbara
2015 – Jon Howell, Emory University
2014 – Tim Welsh, Notre Dame
2013 – Matt Kredich, Tennessee
2012 – Ron Ballatore, UCLA/Florida
2011 – Gregg Parini, Denison University
2010 – Gregg Troy, Florida
2009 – Frank Keefe, Yale University, Ret.
2008 – Greg Earhart, Collegeswimming.
2007 – Don Megerle, Tufts University
2006 – Don Gambril, Alabama, Retired
2005 – Frank Busch, Arizona
2004 – Jon Urbanchek, Michigan
2003 – David Marsh, Auburn University
2002 – Teri McKeever, California
2001 – Richard Quick, Stanford University
2000 – David Marsh, Auburn University
1999 – Jean Freeman, Minnesota
1998 – Jack Bauerle, Georgia
1997 – Dr. Samuel J Freas, ISHOF
1996 – Jon Urbanchek, Michigan
1995 – Jim Steen, Kenyon College
1994 – Don Easterling, North Carolina St
1993 – Eddie Reese, University of Texas
1992 – Ernie Maglischo, CSU-Bakersfield
1991 – Nort Thornton, California,
1990 – Hoble Billingsley, Indiana
1989 – Phil Hansel, University of Houston
1988 – John Higgins, US Naval Academy
1987 – Richard Kimball, Michigan
1986 – Donald Gambril, Alabama
1985 – Raymond Bussard, Tennessee
1984 – Jack Ryan, US Military Academy
1983 – Robert F. Busbey, Cleveland State
1982 – Richard E. Steadman, Monmouth
1981 – Charles J. Butt, Bowdoin College
1980 – Gus Stager, Michigan
1979 – Philip E. Moriarty, Yale University
1978 – Jack McGuire, Iowa State
1977 – Peter Daland, USC
1976 – George F. Haines, UCLA
1975 – James E. Counsilman, Indiana
1974 – G. Robert Mowerson, Minnesota
1973 – Ted Webster, Syracuse University
1972 – Alfred R. Barr, Southern Methodist
1971 – Charles E. Silvia, Springfield
1970 – David H. Robertson, New Trier HS
1969 – Robert B. Muir, Williams College
1968 – Soichi Sakamato, Hawaii
1967 – Karl B. Michael, Dartmouth
1966 – Charles McCaffree, Michigan State
1965 – Richard Papenguth, Purdue
1964 – Harold S. Ulen, Harvard
1963 – Dave Armbruster, Iowa
1962 – Mike Peppe, Ohio State
1961 – Matt Mann, Oklahoma
1960 – Robert J. Kiphuth, Yale
1959 – Edward T Kennedy, Columbia
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