Bill Wadley announced on Tuesday that he will retire as the head coach of the Ohio State men’s swimming team after a 28-year run leading the Buckeyes.
In those 28 years, Wadley coached 16 Olympians, 30 Big Ten Champions, and was named the 2010 Big Ten Coach of the Year. He never had a losing record in dual meets, with an overall 253-42 record.
“Each and every day I counted my blessings for being able to coach at Ohio State and to work for the university that I love,” Wadley said. “It has been an honor and a privilege to work with all of the great student-athletes throughout the years. I’m very grateful for having had the opportunity to be a Buckeye coach and to have spent 34 years in the Big Ten. I consider my career to be quite a blessing and very special. I look forward to supporting the program and cheering on the Buckeyes as they move forward.”
The Ohio State men finished 19th at the recent NCAA Championship meet with 58.5 points. That left them as the 5th-best Big Ten team in the final rankings, behind Indiana (7th), Purdue (13th), Michigan (17th), and Wisconsin (18th).
In the days after the conclusion of the 2016-2017 season, this is the biggest coaching vacancy to open yet and one that will likely start a huge shift in the dominoes falling. Ohio State has 11 NCAA team titles in its history, which ranks it 3rd-most ever behind Texas and Michigan. That, combined with one of the best facilities in the country and the 3rd-richest athletics department in the country, makes this one of the premier jobs in the country. Wadley’s total compensation in 2015, the most recent data available, was over $143,000 – a huge sum for the coach of a single-gender team in a city, Columbus, that has a cost of living index of 84 according to bestplaces.net (with the national average being 100).
Besides his on-deck duties, Wadley has served as a board member at USA Swimming, a board member at ASCA, and the Technical Swimming Chairperson for FISU, the organization that runs the World University Games.
Always appreciated when Coach Wadley would visit swim programs around Central Ohio and run swim camps for local kids…love him! Enjoy your retirement Coach Bill!
Thank you. You were our favorite hello and our hardest goodbye.
MMMMMMMMMMM
Gregg Parini. Should be at the top of the list when the AD starts making calls.
This may seem far-fetched, but after hearing North Dakota has cut their program, Chris Maiello could be a great fit. Fantastic coach, fantastic person, young, and already has roots in the mid-west.
Let’s not forget that Bill Wadley got that beautiful facility built, too. A real gentleman and good guy, excellent coach, and friend of all.
great fundraiser….got pool built and all scholarships are endowed.
Really? Even if he couldnt coach thats one hell of an accomplishment.
Any mid-major coaches make the jump?
What about Dave Rollins? He was the associate HC at OSU under Wadley, then jumped to FGCU to be head coach of the Womens’ team there this year. Always thought he was going to take over when Wadley retired anyway.
If Coach Rollins was going to take over after Coach Wadley he would not have left for FGCU.
Maybe he had no idea when Wadley was going to retire.
I would image he probably discussed it with his Associate Head Coach before he took the job in Fl…
And I don’t have to “image” as I know for a fact he did not discuss it with him or anyone else. This was a decision he came to within the last few weeks.
We have conflicting info.
No conflicting info I know a lot of the guys on the team and Bill had only recently come to this decision. Saying it was just time to step away from the pool. He is a class act, a fantastic person and an even better coach.
Gregg Parini from down the road at Denison.
My guess is Parini is a lifer at denison. He’s a d3 guy at heart. Also I would think Osu is going to want someone with D1 experience. Nothe saying he’s not a great coach it’s just usually how these things work.
Sounds like a lot of positions available in Ohio this hiring cycle, with BG looking for an assistant and I’m hearing that Miami is cleaning house. Complete new staff after only one season, WOW!
Where did you hear that?