Dick Sloan, who led the Ohio State swimming program from 1976-1989, died last month at the age of 88.
“Coach Sloan is one of the truly good guys of our profession,” said Ohio State Director of Swimming and Diving Bill Dorenkott. “He served our sport for over 25 years, leaving a legacy of strong relationships and cherished memories. His former athletes hold him in the highest regard as a coach, friend and mentor. He was always gracious with his time and wisdom when we would speak. Buckeye Nation is grateful to call Coach Sloan one of our own.”
Despite his long career in swimming, it was far from the only sport in which Sloan was involved. A native of Illinois, Sloan attended Evanston High School, where he was a member of the tennis team.
Sloan’s college career took him to Monmouth College, where he studied education before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 1959. During his time at Monmouth, he was a two-time letter winner in football, playing as a defensive end, and a three-year letter winner in both tennis and swimming.
Sloan kicked off his coaching career as an assistant coach at the University of Illinois in 1962, where he worked for the next four years until 1966 while earning his master’s degree. During his time at Illinois, he helped produce five All-American swimmers and also served as an assistant freshman football coach.
He went on to coach swimming at Lakewood High School for two years before returning to the collegiate level in 1968.
Sloan served as the head coach at Kenyon College from 1968-1975, leading the program to seven Ohio Conference championships and earning a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championship in 1969.
In 1976, Sloan took the helm at Ohio State, where he stayed until 1989, leading the Buckeyes to tremendous success. Over the years, Sloan coached four All-Americans, eight Big 10 Conference champions and two national title winners in U.S. Swimming.
Sloan also served as the special assistant to the Director of Athletics at Ohio State from 1987-1998, helping to manage facilities and events such as camps, concerts and athletic practices and events.
Sloan’s coaching career at Ohio State overlapped briefly with that of Ron O’Brien, who was the head diving coach from 1963-1978, during which time his divers won eight men’s NCAA titles. O’Brien also recently passed away; he was 86.
Sloan and his wife, Diane, retired to Southport, North Carolina, in 1998.
Dick was first and foremost a man of integrity.