| Although Ernie Maglischo’s
stay at Oakland University was a short one-just two years-his influence and impact on the
men’s swimming program has been felt everyday since his arrival and subsequent
departure. Maglischo, who coached the men’s swimming and diving team at OU during the
1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons, led Oakland to its first national championship and set the
groundwork for the successes to follow. The Pioneers
won their first NCAA II title in any sport under Maglischo in 1980, and placed second
nationally the following year, Ernie was also responsible for bringing two men to
Rochester who continued the tradition he started in the swimming program. He brought one
of his former swimmers at Chino, Pete Hovland, to be his assistant coach, and recruited
three-time NCAA II Swimmer of the Year Tracy Huth to come to Oakland.
Ernie’s incredible coaching career includes 13
national championships at three different institutions and six NCAA II Coach of the Year
honors. He has authored three books on swimming and co-authored another on nutrition, and
has also co-authored three swimming computer programs. Ernie was awarded the title of
Master Coach by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America in 1978, and in 1987
was presented with the Honor Award for outstanding contributions to aquatics by the
AAHPERD. In 1991 the CSCAA awarded Ernie the National Collegiate and Scholastic Swimming
Award, the highest award of its kind in the United States. This is the sixth Hall he has
been inducted in. Previous inductions were by California-Chino, the city of Chino, the
Washington High School Alumni, the State University of New York at New Paltz, and the
Canton Ohio Swimming Hall of Fame.
Ernie, who now coaches the men’s swimming and diving
team at Arizona State University, lives in Phoenix with his wife, Cheryl. The have one
child. |
