UNC’s Dr. Jack Brown has been hired as the next head coach for Wisconsin swimming and diving, sources have confirmed to SwimSwam. Brown will be filling the gap left when former Wisconsin head coach Yuri Suguiyama accepted a new role as USA Swimming National Team Director and Coach. Suguiyama spent 7 years as the head coach of the Badgers.
Brown has spent the past 5 years at North Carolina, where he has served as an associate head coach under Tar Heels head coach Mark Gangloff. Brown primarily coaches IM, middle-distance, and distance at UNC. Prior to his time at UNC, Brown spent a total of 7 seasons at Missouri, the first 4 of which he was a volunteer and grad assistant, and the final 3 as an assistant coach. At Mizzou, Brown again coached IM, middle-distance, and distance, but in his 3 years as a full-time assistant coach there, he was the primary distance coach for the Tigers.
Brown’s groups saw significant success in his 5 years with the Tar Heels, seeing a number of individual and relay program records. This past season’s success in particular likely made him a very attractive candidate for a head coaching position. UNC had some excellent performances with their IM, mid-distance, and distance groups this year. Louis Dramm came in 11th in the 200 IM (1:40.92) and 13th in the 400 IM (3:39.41) at the Men’s NCAA Championships back in March, setting new program records in both events. Patrick Hussey, who was an Olympian for Canada last summer in Paris, set a new UNC program in the men’s 200 free this past season, swimming a 1:31.68. On the women’s side, Mary Macaulay took 16th at NCAAs in the 200 IM with a 1:55.46.
Brown is also a published author, having written “The Six Questions: A Step-By-Step Guide To Swimming Fast”.
Wisconsin’s current coaching staff includes associate head coach Kristy King, who was promoted to her role as associate head coach back in the summer of 2022. Also on the Badgers staff are assistant coaches Jennah Haney, Matt Martinez, and Cauli Bedran, along with diving coach Yahya Radman. As is always the case when a new head coach comes in, we’ll have to wait and see how much of the existing staff remains intact.
In the 2024-2025 season, Wisconsin finished 6th at Men’s Big Tens and 22nd and Men’s NCAAs, while the women’s team was 4th at Big Tens and 12th at NCAAs.
Get that indoor training bike ready, Coach! Congrats, great hire
Regardless of school and hire, the newly hired coach could be Jesus Christ himself and teach everyone to run on water but people in these comments would still find a way to crucify him.
It’s also what I love about it, never change swim swam commenters!
Saw what you did there with the JC/crucify reference.
So I’ve gotta know – do this swimmers call him “doc”? 🙂
This seems like a slam dunk hire.
A lot of head coaches at other schools from that U of Missouri Staff. Rhodenbaugh now at SMU, Gangloff at UNC and now Brown at Wisconsin. Maybe another one.
Thank you, coach Rhodenbaugh. Missouri was not kind to you.
Excellent hire.
Ggs
Yuri went to/swam at UNC. Now there is a pipeline from Chapel Hill to Madison, I guess.