The annual Ivy League women’s swimming championship trophywas named after him eight years before he retired. He was inductedinto the American Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Fame fiveyears before he decided to stop coaching. Frank Keefe, Yale’sRobert J.H. Kiphuth Director of Swimming, who has 488 wins combinedbetween the men’s and women’s teams, has certainly madean impression on the swimming community around the league andcountry.
Keefe has been the head coach of the Yale men’s team since1978 and the women’s team since 1980. He completed his 32ndand final year with the Bulldogs in 2009-10.
Keefe successfully forged Yale Swimming's prestigious andillustrious past with his own unique drive for excellence andachievement. His undying commitment to the program and his sincerelove of Yale Swimming was the driving force behind all the success.
“I grew-up in the New Haven area, and my father worked inthe Physical Education Department. Yale has been family for myentire life,” Keefe said. “Over these past 30 years Ihave been blessed with more than 500 swimmers and divers who havegraduated from Yale. I hope I was able to be a positive influenceand a part of their experience. Yale is about people that strive tobe the best at what they choose to be. It's been a wonderfulexperience and I am grateful to be part of the lives I had theopportunity to touch.”
Keefe, who earned a 2009 American Swimming Coaches AssociationAward of Excellence, is a two-time Eastern Intercollegiate SwimmingLeague Coach of the Year. He led the men’s team to an IvyLeague title in 1991-92 and guided the women’s team to fiveIvy crowns, including undefeated seasons in 1992-93 and 1996-97.
In addition to an extensive collegiate background, Keefe hasplenty of international coaching experience. Keefe served as anassistant coach for the 1984 United States Olympic team at LosAngeles and was the head manager for the 1988 Olympic team atSeoul. He also served as the U.S. coach for the 1975 and 1979 PanAmerican Games and as an assistant coach at the 1978 WorldChampionships.
Before starting at Yale, Keefe had already coached nine Olympicswimmers, including gold medalist Carl Robie and silver medalistTim McKee. More recently, he coached George Gleason ’00 andStephen Fahy ’00 to the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
Keefe, a 1960 graduate of Villanova, is a member bothWildcats’ and state of Pennsylvania Halls of Fame. He is anative of East Haven, Conn., where he is also was enshrined in itsHall of Fame. Keefe and his wife, Kathleen, have four children.
