Franco Pacheco

Franco Pacheco

Franco is entering his first season as the new Head Coach at Saint Norbert College in De Pere, WI. The Green Knights recently resurrected the women’s program and are creating a new men’s program. Both teams will first compete in the 2018-2019 season. He swam at the College of Saint Rose as a distance swimmer and has the dubious honor of being the only swimmer in program history to compete in every event possible in the dual meet line-up (including diving) over four years. After college, he went to graduate school at Chaminade University in Hawaii and majored in Educational Psychology while minoring in surfing. Once he got his fill of sun and waves, he joined the United States Army and served with the 742nd before receiving his honorable discharge in 2011. As a newly minted Veteran, Franco has followed his true passion and began coaching at the college level.  He received his M.S.Ed and Educational Leadership certification at Saint Joseph College and his M.B.A. from Thomas College. He is currently on pace to earn a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) from the University of the Rockies in April 2019.

Colorado College

In his two years at Colorado College, Franco had the amazing opportunity to work with Head Coach Anne Goodman James. While on campus, he headed the recruiting and social media efforts while primarily coaching the distance group. The Tigers had two amazing seasons (and two recruiting classes with 15 athletes plus), with Senior Olivia Dilorati taking 3rd in the 100 Fly at 2016 NCAA Championships.

Colby College

Franco had a three-year run with the Mules and had a great deal of success. The highlights include a number of NCAA “B” cut qualifiers, broken records, and bringing in both the largest and the fastest in program history. In his final year, the Mules posted the first positive win-loss records for both the Men and Women in over six years.While in Maine, he also served on the Waterville Fire Department.

Personal 

Franco is in the process of moving to Green Bay with his dogs, Minnesota and Snoopy. He is an avid sports fan and serves as a sports analyst on The B.F.F. Show on AMP Media. He is rarely seen without a baseball cap and swears the San Francisco Bay Area is the sports capital of the world. He once returned to the world of competitive swimming but only for one year and quickly re-retired after taking gold in the 2010 USMS Summer National Championships in the 25-29 400 Freestyle. He is forever indebted to Coaches Fittro, Goodman James, Murray, and Simpson for guiding him through the most difficult and best parts of his career.