Frank Busch, former USA Swimming director and NCAA coach, dies at 75

Frank Busch, a highly accomplished American swimming coach and former USA Swimming National Team Director, has died at the age of 75. His sister, Dorothy Rackstraw, announced that he passed away following a “massive heart attack” suffered at the Phoenix airport while returning from a fishing trip in Idaho.

Busch is widely recognized for his 22-season tenure as the head coach at the University of Arizona from 1989 to 2011. During this period, he led the Wildcats to a dual NCAA team title sweep in 2008. His collegiate career included 48 individual NCAA titles, 31 relay titles, six NCAA Coach of the Year honors, and 11 Pac-10 Coach of the Year awards.

Following his time at Arizona, Busch served as the National Team Director for USA Swimming from 2011 until his retirement in 2017, overseeing the national team through the 2012 and 2016 Olympic cycles. He also served as an Olympic coach in 2004 and 2008 and was inducted into the American Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2008.