四十多年了, Pete Hovland has created a dynasty as OU’s swimming and diving head coach, pushing the program to incredible prestige. 从运动员到教练, Hovland has found success in the water, applying lessons learned from mentors along the way.

在加州长大, Hovland learned to swim at a young age — with an abundance of neighborhood pools in the area, 水上安全是必须的. “在夏天, everybody hung out by the pool and the lifeguards decided to start a small swim team with all of the kids running around,霍夫兰说.

游泳是他的专长, so he and his friends joined the local swim team at the San Jose YMCA, which later merged with the renowned Santa Clara Swim Club, 被誉为美国总理.S. 上世纪六七十年代的游泳俱乐部.

Hovland was recruited to California State 大学-Chico, where he swam under legendary coach Ernest “Ernie” Maglischo, Ph.D., whose revolutionary methods still deeply influence Hovland’s coaching style today. “他是个科学家. He took the sport to another level and is considered one of the brightest swimming minds in the world,霍夫兰说. “He has written some of the best books on the sport, and we didn’t know it at the time, but we were kind of his guinea pigs while he was writing his first book.”

Named the 1976 NCAA Division II Swimmer-of-the-Year, Hovland became a decorated college athlete, winning four NCAA championships with his team and becoming a 23-time All-American and 13-time national champion before he stepped into coaching. “I realized that was where my passion was, and I wanted to be like Dr. Maglischo，”Hovland说.

His OU journey began in 1979 when he followed his mentor, Maglischo, to be an assistant coach. “I knew of 奥克兰 because we swam against them at the national championships. They were one of the top five teams in the country,” Hovland says.

在1979-80赛季, the new OU coaches celebrated immediate success, taking the men’s team to first place in the national championship. Hovland says that winning right away and learning from his mentor were some of the most rewarding moments of his career.

Forty-four years later, Hovland’s path at OU has been lined with shining success. Tied for second-longest tenured coach among current NCAA Division I coaches, he has pushed the program to astounding accomplishments. He has led his swimmers to national championships, 参加奥运会, and countless conference and individual titles.

“You are perpetually around 18- to 22-year-olds. They all have goals and ambitions, and they all come in excited. 很有趣. I just really enjoy it,” he says. “You get up at 4:30 every morning for all these years. I don’t know anything different. It’s definitely a lifestyle; it’s a passion. It’s in the fabric of who I am.”

Just like Hovland had been impacted by his mentor to go into coaching more than 40 years ago, the OU swimming and diving program has produced a large pool of coaches throughout the years. From coaching local competitive clubs to top college teams, and even being part of an Olympic staff, OU alumni are impacting the next generation of swimmers all over the country.  

“I’d like to think that Ernie is as proud of me as I am proud of the others that came from my coaching tree,霍夫兰说.

Pete Hovland retires from 韦德体育app官网 on May 7, 2023