USA Swimming coach Jim Puleo passed away two weeks ago Friday, surrounded by close friends. After going in for a planned surgery, he developed Pulmonary Edema which led to cardiac arrest. Over his decades-long coaching career, he coached internationally and at the age group, collegiate, national, and Olympic level.
Born in Philadelphia, PA, Puleo graduated from Arizona State University (ASU). He began his coaching career as the Head Age Group Coach for the Glendale Gauchos. Jim taught at Corona del Sol High School in Tempe, AZ, and was the Head Coach of the Tempe Makos.
In the summer, ASU women’s swimming head coach Mona Plummer would often send her swimmers to swim with Puleo at the high school’s long-course pool. After stints at the Phoenix Aquatic Club and in Saudi Arabia, Puleo returned to his alma mater ASU as an assistant coach of the women’s swim team under Bob Gillett.
Next, Jim spent time in the Pacific Northwest–he coached Seattle’s Cascade Swim Club and Mt. Hood Swim Team in Oregon. In 1993, the boys team won 1993 Junior Nationals in Long Beach, CA. Jack Ridley, a former coach in the PNW too remembers that “Jim was one of the hardest trainers and well-prepared coaches…he wrote several log books and his sets and daily yardage blew my mind.” His former swimmer Ryan Lowe said that after swimming for Puleo for ten years and being his friend for 36, “not a day goes by that [he] doesn’t benefit from his influence.”
Puleo then moved to Thailand and served as the Project Director for the Thai Swimming Federation. Retired coach Jack Simon coached with Puleo and eventually took over his program at the British International School in Phuket said they “had some great times together and he will be sorely missed by many.”
When he returned stateside, Puleo was briefly at Sun Devil Aquatics before settling as Head Coach and CEO of the Carson Tiger Sharks. Towards the end of his career, he coached Heart of Texas Aquatics (HEAT) in Waco, Texas.
Puleo had extensive experience coaching internationally. In addition to his time in Saudi Arabia and Thailand, he was Panama’s Olympic coach at the 2000 Games in Sydney. He also held positions in Sri Lanka, Egypt, and Singapore. He also coached at FINA clinics in eight other countries.
One of the most well-known athletes he coached was Lauren Costella, who he coached on the Carson Tiger Sharks. Costella, who went on to swim at Stanford, is a two-time National Champion in the 1500, and a bronze medalist at the World University Games. Puleo had a special fondness for coaching distance swimmers. At the Pacific Coaches Conference in 2003, he gave a talk titled “Distance Swimming for Fun and Success.”
He coached at the first National Zone Distance Camp in 1990 at Stanford University and was the director for the 1992 and 1994 camps.
Jason Fladoos, a former athlete of Puleo’s says “[Jim] had the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met. Many times in my career I have pulled from Jim’s life lessons and sat back and imagined Jim’s smirk when having to deal with a tense situation.”
Jim Puleo was an organ donor, and per his wishes, will be cremated.
As someone else who’s also lost their coach & father was an organ donor. Please know of all my love to both his family & swimmers. However you feel is okay. Thank you Jim donating. Organ donation does save lives and thank you for your impact on many athletes lives.