Passages: FAST Masters Coach Richard Stetson Nesbit

FORT WORTH, Texas, October 24. LONG-time Forth Worth Area Swim Team (FAST) Masters Coach Richard Stetson Nesbit passed peacefully in his sleep on Friday, Oct. 19, 2012. He was an accomplished swimmer, setting a national age group record at age 10. As a sophomore in high school, he set an American record and led Highland Park High School to three state titles. Additionally, he was the first Texan to swim the 100-yard breaststroke under one minute.

In college, Nesbit swam under coach Don Easterling at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) and at Texas A&M. He was a 10-time all-American, seven-time NCAA champion, a three-time NCAA record setter and a two-time Olympic trials qualifier. He was inducted into the Maverick Athletic Hall of Honor in 1992 and the Texas Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame in 2009.

Nesbit was also was an accomplished Masters swimmer, and set numerous American and World Records. He spent 40 years coaching all age levels, including many years as a masters coach at FAST. Additionally, he was running Fort Worth's Swim America program and was a proponent of USA Swimming's Make a Splash foundation. He had an active relationship with the Fort Worth Boys and Girls Club, involving inner city and disadvantaged youths in the sport of swimming for water safety.

Read Richard Nesbit's full obituary in the Star-Telegram

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