Auburn Diving Coach Jeff Shaffer, Coach of 7 NCAA Titles, Retires After 24 Seasons

Auburn head diving coach Jeff Shaffer has announced his retirement after a decorated 24-year career leading the Tigers in the deep end. He is 65 years old.

“Auburn is and will continue to be an incredibly special place for me and my family,” Shaffer said. “I appreciate the opportunity to have served the student-athletes and Auburn University these past 24 years.”

Shaffer’s career began when Auburn in the late 90s when David Marsh was the head coach and the Tigers were the country’s dominant collegiate program. His tenure included 7 NCAA event champions, 27 SEC Champions, and 108 All-America honors.

“I’d like to thank all the divers and their families who put their trust and faith in me. I’d be remiss not to thank David Marsh for giving me the opportunity here on the Plains and making diving a key contribution to Auburn’s success. Lastly, I’d like to thank eight-time Olympic coach Ron O’Brien, who gave me my first professional coaching position and mentored me to become the coach that I am today.”

While on the Plains, Shaffer’s divers played integral roles in 12 of Auburn’s NCAA team titles and 18 SEC Championships on both the women’s and men’s sides. Twice, Shaffer was awarded NCAA Diving Coach of the Year. He was also honored as the SEC Diving Coach of the Year on eight separate occasions.

“Coach Shaffer has been the center point of Auburn Diving for the last 24 years,” said head coach Ryan Wochomurka, who was also a member of Auburn’s swimming & diving team during Shaffer’s tenure. “We are incredibly appreciative of his dedication to this program, this university, and this community. Jeff has mentored Auburn men and women to SEC Championships, NCAA Championships and the Olympic Games. We look forward to Jeff and Jenny’s new journey and wish them the very best in their next chapter.”

His success in the diving well started in his first recruiting class which included Caesar Garcia and Ashley Rubenstein. Garcia would go on to become a two-time NCAA Platform champion, the SEC and NCAA Male Diver of the Year in 2004 and an Olympian.

Along with Garcia and Rubenstein, Kelly Marx, Dan Mazzaferro, Vennie Dantin, Anna Aguero, Thad Ellis, John Santeiu, Scott Lazeroff and Allison Maillard are just a few of the many outstanding divers Shaffer molded throughout his time at Auburn. Most recently, it was Opelika, Alabama’s own Conner Pruitt who wrapped up a prolific career with six All-America honors, including an 11th-place finish on the 3-meter at the 2023 National Championships.

The growth of Shaffer’s divers extended well beyond the pool. Five of Shaffer’s student-athletes were awarded Auburn University’s Cliff Hare Award. Presented annually since 1958, the Cliff Hare Award honors a senior student-athlete for academic and athletic success as well as leadership, integrity, and courage. Auburn divers to earn the award include Caesar Garcia (2005), Steven Segerlin (2007), Dan Mazzaferro (2011), Frazer McKean (2015) and Justin Youtsey (2016).

At the 2023 SEC Championships, the Auburn men finished 2nd overall behind Florida and the Auburn women placed 7th. The Auburn men scored 154 diving points, which was second-most in the conference behind only Texas A&M. The Auburn women scored 90 diving points, which was sixth-most.

Prior to his time at Auburn, Shaffer was the diving coach at USC from 1995-1999 and at LSU from 1993-1999. A Wisconsin alum, he began his coaching career in the 1980s when he assisted diving legend Ron O’Brien at Mission Viejo, eventually following O’Brien to Boca Raton, Florida, where he stayed until 1988.

His biggest international appointment was as an assistant coach at the 2004 Olympic Games for Team USA.

Shaffer and his wife, Jenny, have two daughters, Amy and Kelly, and a son J.J. (Jeffrey Jr.). Amy was part of the Track and Field program for the Tigers from 2006-08, J.J. was a member of Auburn’s Baseball team from 2013-17, and Kelly was part of Samford University’s soccer team from 2007-11.

Jeff Shaffer NCAA Career Snapshot