Flash! Auburn’s David Marsh May Replace Richard Quick as Stanford’s Head Women’s Coach

By Phillip Whitten

AUBURN, Alabama, April 18. RUMORS — some already substantiated –continued to swirl around two of the USA's most prominent swim coaches over the weekend and today, with official statements doing little to put them to rest.

According to insiders, Marsh is the leading contender to replace Quick as head women's coach at Stanford University. It is not known at this time why Quick apparently is being encouraged to retire so precipitously.

Separated by the width of a continent, David Marsh and Richard Quick have both found phenomenal success over the years. Quick, the head women's coach at Stanford for the past 17 years, has won 13 NCAA team titles in his career — a record five straight at Texas and eight at Stanford — and has served on the US National Team coaching staff for two decades. In 1996 and 2000 he was the Head US Olympic Women's Coach.

Marsh, Quick's successor at Auburn, has coached both his men's and women's teams to national collegiate titles, earning seven NCAA team championship trophies in 15 years on the Plains. The most recent of those triumphs came less than a month ago, when the Tigers won their third straight men's crown.

Marsh, who interviewed for the position at Stanford late last week, will decide in the next few days whether or not to leave Auburn to once again replace his mentor, this time at Stanford. Marsh told local news media he would base his decision on whether he and Auburn officials "share a vision for the future." According to Auburn sources, Marsh sees that vision as including an outdoor 50-meter facility.

"I love Auburn; I am Auburn," Marsh said. "It would be strange to be anywhere else."

Jay Jacobs, the newly-installed Auburn A.D., told Alabama media he wants Marsh to stay, but can understand why the Stanford job is appealing to him. "He'll have to make a philosophical decision," Jacobs said.

Stanford athletics director Ted Leland could not be reached for comment. However Kyle McRae, the Sports Information Director for Stanford women's swimming, said he was unaware of an imminent retirement by Quick. "Richard Quick is our coach," he said.

Jacobs noted that Marsh is the highest-paid swimming coach in the nation and that the university supports the sport "at a higher level than anyone [else] in the conference."

Marsh earns a base salary of $128,000 as part of a multi-year contract that includes other perks and incentives. He indicated he plans to meet with Jacobs tomorrow and expects to make his decision shortly thereafter.

Marsh said he will meet with Jacobs again on Tuesday and should make his decision shortly after that.

Meanwhile, SwimInfo has learned that Auburn women's co-head coach, Kim Brackin, who has enjoyed a spectacular tenure at Auburn, is also planning on leaving the Tigers. Her departure, however, appears to be unrelated to Marsh's possible decision to leave Auburn.

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