USF Athletic Hall of Fame
Men’s Swimming Head Coach (1965-78)
USF men’s swimming achieved excellence often under head coach Robert Grindey, who guided the Bulls to seven national championship event titles and a runner-up team finish while the program racked up 80 All-America honors.
Grindey took the Bulls to five NCAA Championships during his tenure from 1965-78 and led USF to a second-place finish in 1971, just two years after the program made its NCAA Championship debut.
In the first year the team was eligible for NCAA competition, Grindey led the "Brahmans" to a 12th-place finish at the 1969 meet and helped bring home USF's first-ever national championship, a 200-yard butterfly title delivered by fellow USF Athletics Hall of Fame member Joe Lewkowicz.
In 1970, USF placed 15th at the NCAA championships and had six swimmers and divers return with All-America honors. The Brahmans took second place in 1971, scoring in every swimming event, with three first-place finishes (one in national record time by Ricke Morehead, two runner-up finishes and a third-place showing). In 1972, the team qualified just six swimmers but placed fifth out of 46 schools.
For his career, Grindey coached six individuals that won national championships and one relay national champion. Eighteen swimmers and relay teams earned 80 All-America honors and six school records were set during Grindey’s time as head coach.
In October 1974, Grindey was involved in a motorcycle accident that saw him lose his left leg above the knee. With the help of physical and corrective therapists at the VA Hospital, he quickly returned to his swimming regimen for exercise, and managed to accompany his team to its opening meet at FSU in early December. Not only did he overcome that injury and return to coaching, he didn't miss a single meet as a result of the accident.
After resigning as men's head coach in 1978 to continue teaching in the School of Physical Education, Grindey took a one-year assistant coaching position at USF with Bill Mann, his former assistant, who had become the head coach of both the men's and women's programs for the 1979 season.
Grindey was inducted into the USF Athletics Hall of Fame with the Class of 2011.
