Don Swartz, a Hall of Fame swim coach who spent decades shaping age-group and Masters swimmers in Northern California, died earlier this week while vacationing in Costa Rica from complications related to the flu. He was 79.
Word of his death first reached the North Bay Aquatics community on Thursday.
“It is with great sorrow that I have to tell you that Don Swartz passed away a couple of days ago while vacationing in Costa Rica,” a team notice from North Bay Aquatics said, relaying that the news came from Swartz’s brother, Joel, who went to Costa Rica to be with Madeline during “this terrible episode.”
The club canceled Saturday practice in the wake of the news.
Swartz was inducted into the American Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2013 after a career that began in 1967.
He built Marin Aquatic Club into a national power from 1970 to 1976, coaching swimmers who went on to Olympic and World Championship teams, including Rick DeMont.
Over the years, he became known not just for hard sets and technique but for pioneering coaching work on the mental side of performance, founding the Creative Performance Institute to teach visualization, goal-setting, and anxiety management.
Max Byers, the program’s head coach, posted on the team site that after family, Swartz’s “greatest love in life was his swim team and the great culture that he helped create.
He loved both the youth and Masters as if we too were part of his family.” Byers told SwimSwam that one word people kept using when remembering Swartz was “belief,” the coach’s gift for letting athletes know he believed in them and their goals. “He was earnest to a fault,” Byers said.
Words poured in from swimmers, colleagues, and friends. Brian Colety relayed a message from Ken saying Swartz treated swimmers “as if we too were part of his family” and urged the team to carry on the program as the best way to honor his life’s work.
Simon Dominguez called it “a very sad time for us all” and organized an informal gathering to raise a glass to Don.
Swimmers remembered both Swartz’s blunt technical eye and his warmth. Susie Lindstrom posted that Swartz’s final text to her read: “Right elbow needs to be up a tad before you initiate the pull. Otherwise you look good.”
She added, “I’ll work on it…forever.” Annette Sullivan, who had been with Swartz in Costa Rica recently, said she was heartbroken and promised to keep his “two-minute float” alive in Wednesday workouts as a tribute.
Erika Swanson Shern wrote, “My tears are gonna mix with the pool and make us all swim faster, just like Don would want.”
Peers in the coaching community also responded. David Marsh and others noted Swartz’s influence on coaching practice and on the “soft skills” that shape athletes’ lives; videos and clinic talks from Swartz, including his ASCA Hall of Fame remarks, remain part of his professional legacy.
Family members and close friends are handling arrangements; North Bay Aquatics said more information will follow as the family makes plans.
Teammates have urged anyone with memories, photos, or messages to share them with the group organizing tributes so they can be passed along to Madeline and Joel.
Leave a Comment