Dave Johnson

Who is Dave Johnson?

Dave Johnson is the former head coach for Swimming Canada, serving in that capacity from 1993 to 2004. His twin brother Tom is currently a coach for Swim Canada. Dave Johnson is currently the head coach of the Cascade Swim Club in Calgary.

Johnson became head coach in 1988 after Don Talbot was dismissed by the Canadian Olympic Committee. Johnson oversaw the coaching of the national swim program for three Olympic Games: Atlanta, Sydney and Athens.

Following the Athens Games, Mark Tewksbury suggested there was a lack of accountability at Swimming Canada, and that Johnson was given too much power, noting that Canada's success in the pool during the 1980s and early 1990s was due to regional swim clubs rather than the national swim centres that were in place in 2004.

Shortly after the Athens Olympics, Swimming Canada president Rob Colburn dismissed Johnson. Johnson said that his firing represented "a knee-jerk reaction" to a problem that has been coming for quite some time.

Johnson was succeeded by Pierre Lafontaine, a former Talbot protege, and Team Canada turned in improved results at the 2005 World Aquatics Championships.