Linn Named National Scholastic Collegiate Trophy
Members of the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America have selected Peter Linn as its recipient of its highest award, the National Collegiate and Scholastic Trophy. The Trophy is the highest honor from the CSCAA and will be presented to Coach Linn at the CSCAA's 58th Annual Awards Banquet on May 7th at the Hilton Orrington in Evanston, Illinois.
For twenty-nine years, Peter Linn has been extolling wisdom and winning championships at Eastern Michigan University.
Linn’s history with Eastern started well earlier, however, as a swimmer helping the Eagles to a pair of NAIA team titles (1970 and 1971) and the 1972 NCAA Division II Championship. Following graduation, Linn established two dynasties at Shaker Heights and Upper Arlington high schools.
Upon his return to Eastern, Linn has helped the Eagles to twenty-three Mid-American Conference Championships. More than that, he has nurtured the careers dozens of college coaches, both his former assistants, and as a part of Michigan’s swim camps. None other than Michigan’s Jon Urbanchek cites Peter Linn as a mentor. “I wouldn’t be here without Peter. We are the best of friends - wet or dry. Peter was awesome and could put my ideas into words to help coaches understand what we do.”
Adds longtime Wolverine women’s coach, Jim Richardson, “Peter Linn is absolutely the smartest coach I have known. He has as deep an understanding of every facet of developing swimmers to their potential as any coach on the planet. Jon and I refer to the years when Peter would join us during the summer with Club Wolverine as the ‘golden years.’ He was an integral part of the successes we enjoyed during those years.”
His coaching tree has spawned many branches. The recent decision of Eastern Michigan to discontinue men’s swimming and diving prompted a count of over fifty active college, club and high school coaches. They’ve entered the profession, Urbanchek explains, “because of the respect they have for Peter. What he really does is turns out quality people.”
The National Collegiate and Scholastic Swimming Trophy, is presented annually to an individual or organization which, in the estimation of the recipient’s peers has contributed in an outstanding way to swimming as a competitive sport and healthful recreational activity. This award is also presented by NISCA to the individual or organization which has made the most significant contributions to aquatic sports at the interscholastic level.