Scott A Woodburn, Influential Coach Who ‘Ignited a Fire’ in Bob Bowman for Swimming, Dies, 82

Influential swim coach Scott A Woodburn died overnight after a long battle with auto immune illness. He was 82.

Among Woodburn’s long resume was the former youth coach of Bob Bowman, one of the most famous and most successful swim coaches in history. In a social media post on Tuesday, Bowman credited Woodburn with “igniting a fire in me that still burns bright today.”

Bowman dedicated an entire chapter about Woodburn in his book The Golden Rules in 2016.

Woodburn was the first-ever coach of St. Lawrence University, where he built the program from the nothing to an NCAA Division III National Championship by 1976. There he coached nine All-American swimmers, two individual national champions, and three NCAA Record holders.

For that effort, he was inducted earlier this year into the CSCAA Division III Hall of Fame, as well as the St. Lawrence Athletics Hall of Fame.

After leaving St. Lawrence, he went on to become head coach at LSU and South Carolina; the latter is where he coached a young Bowman.

After leaving coaching, Woodburn had a significant impact on both athletic administration and charitable fundraising. He spent a few years in administration at LSU, Middle Tennessee State, and Rhode Island.

But it was Woodburn’s philanthropic and non-profit work where he really made an impact on the world. He spent three years as the founding Executive Director at the International Game Fish Association Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum, a $32 million facility. He was the Founding Director & Chairman of the Maui Sports Institute, where he created and produced a made-for-TV, 250 mile Adventure Race on the island of Maui. He consulted with the Atlantis Reef Society, which worked to protect, educate, and preserve coral reef ecosystems and marine habitats.

He served as a consultant for the International Swimming Hall of Fame from 2003-2006. He then spent the next five years as the Director of Development for the Cooperative Feeding Program in Ft. Lauderdale, where he helped raise money to provide counseling and food support to needy individuals.

He then spent two years with the Hospice by the Sea Foundation, a non-profit hospice facility in San Diego providing end-of-life care.

He then came out of coaching retirement to coach age group swimmers at Hammerhead Aquatics in Florida, retiring again at age 75.

“Scott was a committed person,” Hammerhead Aquatics head coach John Grzeszczak told SwimSwam. “If he was going to do something, it was 100 percent. That is also what he expected from any swimmer or parent. When he said ‘I wanna come out of retirement and coach your kids,’ I said ‘sure this will be fun.’ Perfect example.

“When parents said their kids were gonna miss workouts he had a list of afterschool programs with costs he handed out. ‘If you’re gonna swim here you’re gonna come to practice.’ They gasped, but those who stayed got better very quickly. Just ask Bowman. They learned to love him though.”