Florida Gulf Coast has announced a contract extension for head women’s swimming and diving coach Dave Rollins. The new deal will keep him on deck through at least the 2027-2028 season.
The contract will pay Rollins a base salary of around $90,000 per year, which is roughly a $10,000 increase over his own salary.
“We are thrilled to extend the contract of Dave Rollins,” Director of Athletics Colin Hargis said. “Rollins, along with his entire coaching staff, demonstrates incredible leadership, dedication to student-athlete development, and commitment to FGCU’s values, which makes each of them integral to our continued success.”
The Eagles, who have been consistently one of the best mid-major programs in the country since beginning competition in the 2007-2008 season, are off to a hot start this year. They have already picked up wins at the 5 team FIU Classic and the 3 team Eagle Invitational as part of a light fall competition schedule that has them next racing at the mid-season Phil Hansel Invitational in Houston.
The wins include victories over top 25 ranked Miami (FL) and D2 superpower Tampa at home. Sophomore Izzy Ackley, who is one of a number of Eagles with high NCAA qualifying potential under new rules to reward mid-major conference champions, has already been a 51.92 in the 100 back this season. If she repeats that time in February at the ASUN Championships, she will likely race at the NCAA Championships
FGCU were among the winners of new developments in the NCAA, with the school pledging to increase scholarship money for the swimming & diving program by almost 40%, from 11 full rides to 18.
The team finished 2nd at last year’s ASUN Championship meet and are the favorites to win this year after the defending champions Liberty left for the American Athletics Conference this season.
The Rollins File
Dave Rollins was hired as FGCU’s new head coach in 2016. He arrived from Ohio State, where he was an associate head coach in his final season with the Buckeyes.
He’s a former standout swimmer, having won multiple All-America honors with the University of Arizona in the mid-2000s. He began coaching there, with the Tucson Ford Dealer Aquatics club before moving into the college realm with the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks in 2007. He’s also coached with the Cincinnati Marlins and St. Xavier High School in Ohio.
Does anyone know why he has an Olympic tattoo? Did he swim in the Olympics?
Happy to answer. The most recent Olympian I coached asked me to get them with her. She saw her qualification as something we accomplished together, and that she would be honored if I would have them as well. Now, I’ll proudly add the years the next time we have an Olympian.
Anyone can get that tattoo if they really want it. I asked a tattoo artist this and was told I could get the rings on my privates if I wanted to.
I know a wrestler (female) who got one for making trials, not Olympics. 😂
Braden – how do you get info like this? Does the school reach out and report it to you? I know you can get salary info for public schools via FOIA/public record requests — but I can’t imagine you have time to file such record requests for hundreds of public schools every year…
The pay part I do not know, maybe public record request? Maybe the school said what the approximate salary will be since they know that full details can be requested.
Some of the other information was through their social media and and SwimSwam articles
State of Florida colleges follow the Sunshine act, open access to salaries
A lot of people are saying it’s been his sensational appearances on the Swim Brief podcast that precipitated this.
If this is reflective of the spirit of your podcast, I’m glad I’ve never heard of it until now.
He’s joking