David Marsh is leaving Auburn?

Hmm? I don't know who this guy has coached as I don't really follow the lives of swimming coaches but it seems to me that if he were a really outstanding swim coach (I am not saying he is not!) that swimmers would be flocking to him for help. No? Look at Bob Bowman for instance. He has a whole slough of Olympic level athletes (Phelps, Vendt, Venderkaay's, Sandeno, Tarwater, etc) and I think he plans on making Olympic cut times a requirement to swim for him next year...thereby reducing group size and making it a more intense coaching experience. These are just observations from a swimming newbie, I could very well be wrong. Feel free to put me in my place! :)

Doesn't hurt that his resume also includes being the head coach for USA World Championship teams,Duel in the Pool,and coach on past US Olympic teams. So, yea, he is an pretty good coach.

Speculation is that Quick is just going to be an advisor. He will probably do some coaching too though. He has coached Auburn before...in fact, I think he was Marsh's coach.

It's true, and coming to the club 2 miles from me! There is quite a lot of excitement about this.

I would say Auburn's men's team winning the last 4 NCAA titles and 6 of the last 10, and the women winning 4 of the last 5 pretty much speaks for itself. That is a great achievement for their swim program as well as it's coach. I guess my question is that why aren't more Olympians flocking to his door for training? How does a potential Olympian decide whom will coach them? I am not trying to say that this guy is not a great coach, I am sure he is.

What exactly is a "Center of Excellence"? Something for post-collegiate Olympians?

Usually the natural transition is from USS into Division I, not the other the direction. Dealing with parents of younger swimmers can be a royal pain. Perhaps Alabama doesn't offer quite the environment he prefers going forward. It's an intersting move regardless of the reason. Perhaps if he recruited a few more Americans instead of foreigners he may have been selected for a few more Olympic head coaching positions. John Smith

Is this guy a bit controvertial? Asking because of the comment John made about foreign swimmers. Is this the guy that coached the frenchman who broke the 50 SCY Free record a few years ago?

Is this guy a bit controvertial? Asking because of the comment John made about foreign swimmers. Is this the guy that coached the frenchman who broke the 50 SCY Free record a few years ago? Yup. I was wondering when John would bring this up. Took a while, but he makes a valid point. Will Marsh recruit more foreigners to swim with him in Charlotte? What will the USOC say if some of those foreign swimmers he coached at Aurburn follow him there? Can they restrict foreign athletes since this is a USOC venture?

What exactly is a "Center of Excellence"? Something for post-collegiate Olympians?A good question… It seems that USA Swimming is asking the same one. USA Swimming Statement Related to the Recent Announcement from the Mecklenburg Aquatics Club Regarding the Hiring of David Marsh The Mecklenburg Aquatics Club has recently announced that David Marsh will be joining their staff in the spring on 2007 as Head Coach and Chief Executive Officer. It has also been announced that Mecklenburg will be recognized as a swimming “Center of Excellence” and that the U.S. Olympic Committee, USA Swimming and Speedo have provided support to help accomplish this. As a result of this announcement a number of clubs, coaches and others have been inquiring about the Center of Excellence concept and future plans and opportunities. The USA Swimming Board of Directors will be discussing the topic and any future plans for the Center of Excellence concept at its meeting on November 18. More detailed information will be made available following that meeting.