Swimming World Presents “Lessons with the Legends: Frank Keefe”

Coach Frank Keefe - Lessons with the Legends - Swimming World -

Lessons with Legends: Frank Keefe

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Though a Connecticut native and coach at Yale University for 32 years (1978-2010), Frank Keefe also has deep Philadelphia roots. A backstroker, IMer and 1960 Villanova graduate, early in his professional career Keefe also sold insurance and taught school.

In 1978, Keefe took the job at Yale, commuting to his home in Drexel Hill, Pa. on weekends. In New Haven, he amassed 488 victories, took the men to two and the women to five Ivy League titles, and championed the concept of the popular HYP meet while twice being named Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League Coach of the Year. He also founded the Omni Swim Club, which he directed for 20 years.

Since retiring from Yale, he has continued to coach, having spent considerable time on the university decks of Villanova, LaSalle, Swarthmore College and the Shipley School. He also has a business partnership in Puerto Rico dedicated to helping teams with training trip arrangements.

THE VOICE OF EXPERIENCE
On the Value of Old Coaches:
“Old coaches can help young coaches and swimmers think. An old coach can be someone who wants to help the program, be an extra hand on deck or help you do the things you’d like to do, but don’t have time,” says Keefe.

On the Role of Dual Meets:
“I have a concern that dual meets are going down the drain. Look at college meet schedules—everybody is doing invitationals or combined meets, which are fine for the social component, but I think you lose some spectator interest because they are not as exciting as just head-to-head, mano-a-mano stuff.

On Swimmer-Coach Relationships:
“Rules, regulations, Safe Sport, trust. It all comes down to communication, which is a two-way street. You can’t be afraid of parents. They’ll make the major decisions about their children, so it is a matter of having enough information about who they are and where they are coming from. Our job is to make them better people, to help the parents, to be part of the network to make them successful adults. If we forget that, we are in the wrong sport.”

To read much more about coach Frank Keefe,
check out the May 2019 issue of Swimming World Magazine, available now!

Swimming World May 2019 Cover Cal Golden Bears NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships Stanford Austin Texas

[PHOTO CREDIT: PETER H. BICK]

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FEATURES

016 NO LEDECKY…NO MANUEL… NO PROBLEM
by Dan D’Addona, David Rieder and Andy Ross
Relying on a younger team—with 10 underclass-men—Stanford still won its third straight women’s NCAA Division I swimming and diving team title. It’s just that this year’s margin of victory was much closer than the previous two.

WOMEN’S NCAA DIVISION I MINI-FEATURES:

018 BROOKE FORDE: MAKING THE EXTRA EFFORT

019 BEATA NELSON: UN-BEATA-BLE NELSON

021 ABBEY WEITZEIL/CAL BEARS: THE OTHER CHAMPIONS

022 LILLY KING: LILLY’S LEGACY

024 WOMEN’S NCAA DIVISION I PHOTO GALLERY
photos by Peter H. Bick

026 THE COMPLETE PACKAGE
by Dan D’Addona and David Rieder
The depth of Cal’s Golden Bears was on full display at this year’s men’s NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships in Austin, proving they were the best team in the nation.

MEN’S NCAA DIVISION I MINI-FEATURES:

028 DANIEL CARR: SECOND CHANCE PAYS OFF

029 SILVER LININGS FOR SECOND-PLACE TEXAS

031 DEAN FARRIS: DEAN OF THE POOL

032 MEN’S NCAA DIVISION I PHOTO GALLERY
photos by Peter H. Bick

034 STILL NO. 1
by Andy Ross, Cathleen Pruden, Olivia Wile and Grace Nordquist
All of the schools that won college national championships last year for NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA and NJCAA repeated as champions in 2019. Their winning streaks range from two to 45!

038 ’59 MICHIGAN TEAM STILL “THE GREATEST OF ’EM ALL”
by Bruce Wigo
For overall strength as well as balance in all the strokes, distances and diving, no team in history has ever dominated the men’s NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships like the 1959 University of Michigan Wolverines.

COACHING

010 LESSONS WITH THE LEGENDS: FRANK KEEFE
by Michael J. Stott

014 SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: CONDITIONING TO OPTIMIZE TECHNIQUE (Part 2)
by Rod Havriluk
As explained in Part 1, there are three types of sets that are critical to emphasizing technique: skill sets, transition sets and test sets. Part 2 presents strategies to integrate these three sets into a conditioning program.

041 SPECIAL SETS: TRAINING FOR THE 200 FLY
by Michael J. Stott
Coach Sean Farrell’s recent success with distance flyers at the Cheshire YMCA/Sea Dog Swim Club in Connecticut results from having good athletes, a defined sense of how to train them and a philosophy focused on training the whole athlete.

043 Q&A WITH COACH DAN MASCOLO
by Michael J. Stott

044 HOW THEY TRAIN JULIA STEVENS
by Michael J. Stott

JUNIOR SWIMMER

046 UP & COMERS: MORGAN RAZEWSKI
by Taylor Brien

COLUMNS

008 A VOICE FOR THE SPORT

009 BEYOND THE YARDS

013 OFFICIAL WORD

040 DID YOU KNOW? ISHOF’S FIRST HONOREES: A “SPORTS SPECTACULAR”

047 GUTTER TALK

048 PARTING SHOT

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Susan Meyer Lupoli
4 years ago

Coach K…always there for the kids

Mary Keefe
4 years ago

Hope they included some of your life lessons as well! And I sincerely hope that we help you as much as you’ve helped us. The Connecticut Keefe’s send their love.

Lori Ploutz-Snyder
4 years ago

Heidi Ketre Creed

Heidi Ketre Creed
4 years ago

Lori Ploutz-Snyder He was not only my coach he was like a family member. Especially after my father passed away. He gave me a hug and said let’s get back in the water and start training. I was only 21 when I lost my father. And Frank was there he was so much more than a coach. I remember saying to him. Frank you have coached so many great Olympic swimmers I bet it frustrates you to coach Someone like me……I think I was 15 years old ….He looked at me And he sald “Heidi you have a lot in common with these great swimmers” They all put their swimsuit on one leg at a time.” Keep working hard and don’t give up dreaming. I am so thankful God put him in my life! 1978-1984 I was also blessed to coach with him!!! For two summers I coached a camp with Frank and other amazing coach’s. Frank helped me to get my first coaching job in Missoula Montana In 1983. I’ve been coaching ever since. I find myself quoting things he says often to inspire my swimmers. I was so blessed to have him in my life!

Lori Ploutz-Snyder
4 years ago

Heidi Ketre Creed a true legend

Heidi Ketre Creed
4 years ago

Lori Ploutz-Snyder thanks for sharing! ❤️?

Lucky
Lucky
4 years ago

You never know what the good Lord will put in front of you. One day, a week after ” a well known coach who used to coach at a major university” blew up the club team I was involved with, Frank Keefe, whose reputation I knew of as the Head Coach of the Legendary Foxcatcher Swim Club and Yale University entered my life as someone who “would be willing to work with a group of coaches who needed some help.”
What I and other coaches experienced was beyond anything we could have expected. We were exposed to a gentleman who took the time to teach, coach and mentor at a level we never could have expected. A gentleman who was learning as much at “X” years old as he did when he was 30!
For the record, we owe that great honor to another legend, Don Galluzzi, who thought this just might work out!
If you have a Frank Keefe, Don Galluzzi, or George Breen in your community, embrace them, tap them and be grateful that you can learn from a master rather than from some hack who may have written a book, or magazine article but had less intellect, passion and wisdom of these types of gentlemen!
Frank, Thank You! Don, Thank You! We are blessed! Hoping others will be!

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