CSCAA Information

FOUNDED in 1922, the College Swimming Coaches Association of America, Inc. (CSCAA), is the first association for intercollegiate coaches in the United States of America. In 1933, the CSCAA initiated the College Swim Coaches Forum in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Coaches and athletes met during their Winter Break to train and exchange ideas and techniques. Initially, the College Coaches Forum organized and directed the national collegiate championships, developed rules and eventually became an integral part of the administration of college competition. In 1964, the College Coaches Forum decided that swimming needed a shrine to honor the greatest athletes and coaches in the aquatic sports. A committee was established and that very year the Swimming Hall of Fame was established under the leadership of Buck Dawson, the Hall’s first Executive Director. In 1968, the international governing body for aquatic sports, FINA – Federation Internationale de Natation Amateur – authorized the Swimming Hall of Fame to become the official International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF). Sixteen years later, the Women’s Swim Coaches Association of America merged with the CSCAA to complete the formation of the CSCAA’s modern structure. In 1995, the CSCAA began a certification program for college swimming officials. That program eventually gave birth to the College Swimming Officials Association (CSOA), which remained a part of the CSCAA until 2008, when it was granted its independence. Presently, the CSCAA boasts more than 2,000 member coaches and assistant coaches, recognizes All-American swimmers, NCAA record-breakers and Scholar All-America athletes and teams as well as outstanding coaches and contributors, and helps oversee the welfare of collegiate swimming and diving.