A Scottish Stroke of Genius: Ford Swim Coach Paul Stafford

TUCSON- Coach Paul Stafford got his first taste of chlorine as an impressionable 4-year-old at the Larkey Swim Club in Walnut Creek, California. He fell in love with the sport through summer league swimming, and became a committed club swimmer in high school. He experienced some success, which he said, is solely because of he was willing to put in the work.

Today he is the Head Swim Coach for Ford Aquatics in Tucson, Arizona.

Stafford is 5’9, with a wiry build, fiery red hair and the freckles of a Scotsman. His typical uniform is a baseball cap and a tie-dyed tee tucked into his favorite pair of zip-into-shorts cargo pants.

“I’m not, as you can see, one of those gifted guys with a huge wingspan and all of the physical tools,” Stafford said with a laugh. “I think that fostered a real passion in me to learn about the sport.”

After graduating from high school, Stafford took a year off following his other passion, the iconic Grateful Dead rock band, around Europe. Then he came back to the U.S. and started working for his pop’s car battery franchise.

“That was such a wonderful thing because it made me realize there was no way I wanted to do something like that,” Stafford said. Paul’s use of “wonderful” gives you a dose of his contagious optimism.

His fate was sealed. He had pool water coursing through his veins and ideas pumping through his mind. But for Paul, the addiction was not to the water, but to making an impression on human lives.

Stafford and Ray Mitchell started the Terrapins Swim Team [Concord, California] together in 1989. Stafford was molded into the communicative, thinking coach he is today during his long tenure coaching beside Mitchell.

“Having the mentor I had for my 25 years with the Terrapins…” Stafford pondered. “I don’t know what I’d be doing today without that experience.”

During his three decades of coaching, Paul has helped talented youth blossom into swimming stars. Natalie Coughlin, Lauren Rogers and Kate Dwelley all worked with Paul as young Terrapins. Most recently, Paul coached USC’s Chelsea Chenault and Justin Lynch, who will be a Cal Golden Bear next season. Chenault made the top eight at the 2012 Olympic Trials in the 200 free and Lynch broke Phelps’ 15-16 NAG record in the 100 fly in 2013.

“Seeing the impact you can have over time is the most rewarding part of this job,” Stafford said. “And knowing the impact you can have keeps you in it.”

Chenault treasures the character of her former coach.

“Paul always believes in me, even when I’m struggling to believe in myself,” Chenault said. Notice she says “believes,” present-tense, even though Stafford is no longer her coach.

“Even with me being gone for two years, he always finds time to talk with me.” Chenault added. “I honestly don’t know if I would be where I am today without him.”

In September 2014, Stafford accepted the head coaching position with Tucson Ford Dealers Aquatics. He uprooted from California and has hit the ground running in the desert. I have the honor of coaching alongside Paul, so I’ve seen firsthand his efficient implementation of elite club programming.

“I know how I would like to see everything run,” Stafford said regarding his business savvy. He’s a visionary and an entrepreneur, whether he admits to it or not.

Stafford decided he had seen too many sloppy entries in freestyle and backstroke, so he decided to do something about it. He designed a back-of-hand and wrist brace, which could hold the hand in the perfect catch position.

Stafford’s first development was called the Wrist Lock. He used the prototype with a young backstroker named Samantha Coloma last year. The high school sophomore took her 100 back from a 55.5 to a 53.6 in one year after consistently using Paul’s prototype.

Recently he’s collaborated with an engineer who has helped make a device that provides feedback via vibrations when the swimmer’s hand is not properly placed upon entry. We’ll make sure the swimming world knows when the groundbreaking device comes available.

In the meantime, trust Paul will continue to impact lives, study the sport, invent new ways help swimmers learn, innovate the Tucson Ford business model, and all the while, have some Grateful Dead melodies flowing through his head.

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Billie Caughran

9 years ago

Hey cousin – great story about you. I always knew you had something special.

James Hallen

9 years ago

Amazing story uncle Paul. I know you will kick ass down there. I’ll be thinking about you.

9 years ago

Thanks for another nice story, Annie.

In the 1980s I swam with the Walnut Creek Aquabears. I remember when Paul encouraged me to get in a lane with some faster, more experienced swimmers. I did and I still try to step or stroke outside my comfort zone to this day.