Alabama swim and dive head coach Margo Geer rounded out her new staff with Friday’s addition of assistant coach Richard Salhus, who brings seven years of collegiate coaching experience to Tuscaloosa from previous stops at LSU, Army, and Iowa.
“I am excited for Rich, his wife Mary and his two sons, Liam and Oliver, to be a part of the Crimson Tide,” Geer said. “Rich brings tremendous insight from his years of experience coaching at the collegiate and club levels, and great enthusiasm for developing student-athletes in all facets of life. Our team will benefit from Rich and all he brings both as a coach and as a person.”
Salhus spent last season with Rick Bishop in Baton Rouge, where he helped the LSU women achieve their highest NCAA finish in 30 years. Both the Tiger men and women earned top-20 finishes at NCAAs. He also served as an assistant coach at Army from 2019-22, a span that saw his swimmers capture 17 Patriot League titles.
“I want to express my gratitude to head coach Margo Geer for the incredible opportunity to be a part of the Crimson Tide family,” Salhus said. “It is an honor to join such a remarkable team while representing a university that provides all the necessary resources to pursue championships. I am excited to share the pool deck with an outstanding staff and build great relationships with our student-athletes to help and support them in seeking excellence. Roll Tide!”
Salhus started his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater, Iowa, where he worked as an assistant coach and international recruiting coordinator from 2016-19. During that time, Hawkeye swimmers lowered 30 school records and Salhus was promoted to head coach of the Iowa Flyers Swim Club.
There has been quite a bit of movement on Alabama’s coaching staff this year. In April, associate head coach Ozzie Quevedo left to become the head coach of the SMU women and associate head coach James Barber departed to pursue an opportunity at American College Connection. The next month, Andrew Hodgson was announced as the new associate head coach for the Crimson Tide. Wisconsin volunteer assistant Michael White joined the staff in July, then assistant coach Roman Willets left to become an associate at Pitt, Alabama added Jake Larson to its staff from Miami (OH), and assistant Reed Fujan took an associate position at Louisville — all in August.
Geer was rewarded with a three-year contract extension this summer worth a base salary of $160,000 annually after the Crimson Tide men placed 19th at NCAAs last season and the women placed 14th. In 2022, the Alabama men finished 14th at NCAAs and the women placed 4th.
Great hire!
Well. There it is.