Richard Quick Honored as SMU Distinguished Alumnus

DALLAS, TX, Oct. 18. STANFORD head women's swimming and diving coach Richard Quick was honored last night as a Southern Methodist University distinguished alumnus for the distinction he brought to the university through his professional achievements and community service.

"I¹m deeply honored to be recognized with this award," said Quick. "Southern Methodist University played a huge role in my development as a person and a coach."

The award was presented at a formal presentation and dinner on Thursday, October 17. This year marks the 50th anniversary presentation of SMU¹s Distinguished Alumni Awards.

Coaching in the past five Olympiads, three as the U.S. women's swimming team head coach, Quick has trained 17 athletes who¹ve earned a total of 29 Olympic medals.

Quick, who was named the national coach for U.S. swimming in 1986, also has coached in four World Championships, the 1990 Goodwill Games, three Pan Pacific Games, the 1985 World University Games and the 1979 Pan American Games.

Over the past 14 years, Quick has guided the Stanford women's swimming and diving team to seven NCAA championships and 12 Pacific-10 Conference crowns. He has earned five NCAA Coach of the Year honors and four Pacific-10 Coach of the Year awards. Prior to his tenure at Stanford, he led Texas to five straight NCAA titles from 1984 to 1988. Quick has won a total of 12 NCAA titles during his collegiate career, the most in the history of Division I coaching. His teams have won 18 conference crowns.

Earning his B.A. degree in physical education from SMU in 1965, Quick began coaching at Memorial High School in Houston, guiding the team to six state championships. He returned to SMU in 1971 as an assistant coach in men's swimming. In 1976, he began the women's program. He also founded and coached the Dallas Swim Club. Before leaving SMU in 1977, Quick earned an M.A. in physical education. He later coached the men's swimming team at Iowa State for the 1977-78 season, and the men's and women¹s programs at Auburn from 1978 to 1982.

The SMU Distinguished Alumni Award represents the highest honor the university can bestow upon alumni of the institution. Others receiving the award this year include Assistant to the President and Staff Secretary to President George W. Bush, Harriet E. Miers; ABC News air safety analyst John J. Nance; and former SMU interim president and biology professor emeritus, William B. Stallcup Jr. Recipients are recommended by a committee of alumni and are approved by the SMU Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Past SMU Distinguished Alumni Award recipients include First Lady Laura Bush, Hollywood television producer Aaron Spelling, former Texas governor William P. Clements Jr., PGA golf champion Payne Stewart, former U.S. Senator John G. Tower and Heisman Trophy winner Doak Walker.

SMU is a private, comprehensive university located in Dallas. It has an enrollment of about 10,000 students and a full-time faculty of more than 500. SMU offers undergraduate degree programs in Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Meadows School of the Arts, Edwin L. Cox School of Business and the School of Engineering. Graduate and professional programs are offered in these schools and in Perkins School of Theology and Dedman School of Law.

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