Purdue Coach Dan Ross Named Recipient of CSCAA Richard E. Steadman Award

Photo Courtesy: Purdue Athletics

As the longtime head coach of Purdue men’s swimming & diving, Dan Ross helps bring a smile to the faces of student-athletes and staff members on a daily basis at the Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center. But his persona and positive attitude have a coast-to-coast impact on collegiate swimming & diving. The College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) has selected Ross as its 2022 recipient of the Richard E. Steadman Award, recognizing the dean of Big Ten swim coaches for doing his part to spread happiness across the sport.

Ross was selected by the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association’s (CSCAA) Board of Directors and will be recognized at the 61st annual CSCAA College Swimming & Diving Awards on May 2 in Rosemont, Illinois.

Ross’ impact has been felt at the grassroots level of the sport. He has been one of the most active members of the CSCAA Mentoring Program. As Fresno State head coach Jeanne Fleck noted in her nomination, “He helps everyone, including other coaches, and would go out of his way to make you feel welcome and important.”

Michigan State’s Matt Gianiodis agreed, writing that “Dan is the most positive person I have ever met. He cares first and foremost about the sport. He has happiness and pride in his team excelling, but he also feels the same way about rivals. His attitude is infectious and he is the perfect person for this award.”

Ross came to Purdue in 1977 as a walk-on. After graduation, he spent four more years as an assistant before becoming head coach in 1985. Ross has been recognized by his peers as Big Ten Coach of the Year in three different decades and has helped the Boilermakers to top-25 finishes at the NCAA Championships in 13 of the past 16 seasons.

Few coaches have the opportunity to spend their entire career at one school and even fewer have the opportunity to do so at their alma mater. In the words of the CSCAA, “only one member of that select group can claim to be a friend to every member of the coaching community – Dan Ross.”

Cathy Wright-Eger, the head coach of the Purdue women from 1987 to 2008 and later a leadership advisor in the Athletics Department, was also a recipient of the Steadman Award in 2008. The late Morgan J. Burke, Purdue’s Athletics Director from 1992 to 2016, was honored as the CSCAA’s Charles McCaffree Award recipient in 2017, the same year the Boilermakers’ aquatic center was renamed in Burke’s honor. Burke also swam at Purdue and the McCaffree Award recognized his outstanding success outside the pool.

Richard Steadman was a longtime college coach that helped lead student-athletes to gold medals at the NAIA, NCCAA Division II and Division III levels. Along with the CSCAA’s award, the natatorium on the campus of Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, is named in Steadman’s honor.

Other nominees for the Steadman Award this season included Sean Peters (Wayne State University), Jimmy Tierney (McKendree University), James Halliburton (Saint Louis) and Max Obermiller (Sewanee).

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— The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with Purdue Athletics and the CSCAA. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com.

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