Legendary swimming coach Frank Busch died on Sunday, September 27, after suffering a medical emergency. He was 75.
“It is with a very heavy heart that I share that my dad, Frank Busch, died yesterday,” Frank’s son Peter wrote via Instagram on Monday, September 28. “He had a heart attack in the Phoenix Airport on his way back from a fishing trip.”
Peter, an anchor at Gulf Coast News in Florida, said his late father “had various health issues over the years.”
“But nothing that would have led us to believe that he would suddenly die like this at age 75,” he shared. “We’re all torn apart right now, but my dad was a man of faith who firmly believed that God would only take him when it was his time. I take a lot of comfort in knowing that is the absolute truth.”
Frank was the University of Arizona’s head swimming coach from 1989 to 2011, leading both the men’s and women’s teams to a national championship in 2008. He also served as USA Swimming’s National Team Director from 2011 until his retirement in 2017, which included the 2012 Olympic Games in London and the 2016 Games in Rio.
“He touched hundreds, if not thousands of lives as a coach and mentor,” Peter said. “My dad was old school. He preached hard work and humility. One of his favorite sayings was that the true measure of a man was not the size of his wallet, but the size of his heart.”
Frank is survived by his wife of more than 50 years, Patty, five children and seven grandchildren.
“He met my mom in college at Loyola of Chicago,” Peter wrote. “They had five children together and were married for 54 years. He had seven grandchildren who affectionately called him Papa. It broke my heart yesterday to tell my three girls that Papa was gone.”
Peter concluded, “As I type this post, I’m in tears at RSW Airport getting ready to board a flight to Arizona to be with my mom and siblings. Thank you for your prayers.”
The University of Arizona’s current swimming and diving head coach, Ben Loorz, called Frank “a coaching icon.”
“His impact stretches throughout our sport, from the club level to the college level to the Olympics,” Loorz wrote in a statement released by the school. “Our program wouldn’t be where it is today without the foundation he created. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones.”
