Rick Kobe
	Position: Head Coach Experience: 29th Year Alma Mater: Fairmont State, 1976

For more than a quarter century, Rick Kobe has been responsible for making East Carolina swimming and diving one of the winningest programs in the country Since becoming the Pirates' head coach in 1982, Kobe's team have won over 70 percent of their dual meets and compiling over 400 victories for their mentor, making him one of the winningest coaches in America.

The 2010-11 season will be his 29th season at the helm of the East Carolina swimming program. Kobe's approach to winning has been the same for the previous 28 years: recruit the top athletes who can come in and be competitive from the first day.

During his time at ECU, Kobe has helped the Pirates set 259 varsity records and 140 freshman records. He has coached four NCAA All-Americans, one Olympic participant, 138 individual event conference champions and 147 all-conference performers. Forty of his athletes have made their NCAA 'A' or 'B" cut and participated in five NCAA Championships.

Kobe teams have also won eight conference team championships. Kobe was named the 2002-03 Conference USA Coach-of-the- Year marking the eighth time that he has received a Coach-of-the-Year honor. He has also tutored some of the top academic performers at ECU. Marc Cook (1991, `92) and Geoff Handsfield (2007, `08) were both two-time Academic All-America selections.

RICK KOBE
Birthday	Sept. 27
Hometown	Windsor, Vt.
College	Fairmont State College, 1976 (B.S.) West Virginia University, 1978 (M.E.)
Family	wife: Courtney children: Suzanne, Catherine, Lindsay, Tyler, Holton
SWIMMING EXPERIENCE
Level	School, Years
College	Fairmont State College (1973-76)
COACHING EXPERIENCE
Year	School, Position
1976-78	West Virginia University, assistant coach
1978-80	Raleigh Swim Association, head coach
1980-82	East Carolina University, assistant coach
1982-present	East Carolina University, head coach
HONORS/AWARDS
Year	Award
1987-88	CAA Men's Swimming Coach-of-the-Year Master Swim Coach
1988-89	CAA Men's Swimming Coach-of-the-Year
1993-94	CAA Coach-of-the-Year
1994-95	CAA Women's Swimming Coach-of-the-Year
1999-2000	CAA Women's Swimming Coach-of-the-Year
2000-01	CAA Women's Swimming Coach-of-the-Year
2002-03	Conference USA Women's Swimming Coach-of-the-Year
CHAMPIONSHIPS WON
Year	Championship
1985-86	CAA Men's Championship
1988-89	CAA Men's Championship
1994-95	CAA Women's Championship
1995-96	CAA Women's Championship
1996-97	CAA Women's Championship
1999-2000	CAA Women's Championship
2000-01	ECAC Women's Championship
2002-03	Conference USA Women's Championship
HEAD COACHING RECORD
Year	School	Men's	Women's
1982-83	East Carolina	4-5	5-5
1983-84	East Carolina	8-4	9-4
1984-85	East Carolina	9-4	8-5
1985-86	East Carolina	9-3	12-2
1986-87	East Carolina	7-3	10-2
1987-88	East Carolina	6-6	10-3
1988-89	East Carolina	9-1	8-2
1989-90	East Carolina	9-3	8-4
1990-91	East Carolina	8-2	7-3
1991-92	East Carolina	7-5	5-7
1992-93	East Carolina	10-2	10-2
1993-94	East Carolina	10-2	9-3
1994-95	East Carolina	6-5	10-1
1995-96	East Carolina	9-1	8-2
1996-97	East Carolina	9-1	8-2
1997-98	East Carolina	8-2	7-3
1998-99	East Carolina	5-5	8-2
1999-2000	East Carolina	6-4	9-2
2000-01	East Carolina	8-2	7-3
2001-02	East Carolina	6-4	10-1
2002-03	East Carolina	7-3	8-2
2003-04	East Carolina	6-4	8-2
2004-05	East Carolina	8-1	7-2
2005-06	East Carolina	6-3	10-1
2006-07	East Carolina	7-5	9-4
2007-08	East Carolina	6-2	7-1
2008-09	East Carolina	8-1-1	10-1
2009-10	East Carolina	6-3	9-3
Career	28 Seasons	204-89-1	236-74
Overall	440-163-1

Kobe served as an assistant coach for the Pirates from 1980-82 before taking over the men and women's swimming programs prior to the 1982-83 season. After one season, Kobe's workout regiment and recruiting abilities began to pay off as the men's team finished with an 8-4 dual meet record, and the women's program came away in even better fashion, sporting a 9-4 record.

From there, Kobe has taken the swimming program to a level unsurpassed in Pirate history. Through his team's success, Kobe has become the winningest coach in Pirate athletics' history. His .730 winning percentage is the best of any Pirate coach with at least five years at ECU since the school became a Division I institution in the mid 1960s.

Overall, Kobe's teams have combined for a 425-157 record in 27 years. Just the fourth coach in the rich history of ECU swimming and diving; Kobe began his coaching career at West Virginia where he was an assistant from 1976-78. Beginning in 1978, he coached the Raleigh Swim Association and then, in 1980, came to ECU as an assistant coach under Ray Scharf. Kobe then took over the top spot in the Pirates' program on March 15, 1982.

Ten of Kobe's former assistant coaches have moved on to become head coaches of their own at other schools.

A native of Windsor, Vt., Kobe swam competitively for Fairmont State (W.Va.) College, serving as team captain during his senior season. He earned a bachelor's degree in health and physical education in 1976 and obtained his master's degree in the same field from West Virginia in 1978.

Kobe was one of the youngest coaches ever to receive the prestigious Master's Coach Award presented by the Collegiate Swimming Coaches Association of America.

Kobe has two daughters: Suzanne, who is a 2007 graduate of New York University and Catherine, who is a senior at N.C. State.

Kobe is married to the former Courtney Holton Welch and has three stepdaughters: Lindsay, Tyler, and Holton.

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