Bill Boomer

Who is Bill Boomer?

William "Bill"/"Buzz"/"Boomer" Boomer was the head coach of the men's swim team at the University of Rochester from 1962 to 1990. Since the early 1990s, Boomer has been a guest speaker for the Stanford University swim team and has worked one-on-one with many world-class swimmers. Boomer was a coach for the 2000 US Olympic team.

Boomer had no experience coaching swimming when he started at Rochester. The graduate assistant to the track and field team had in fact never seen a swim meet prior to being offered the job. In order to better understand his swimmers, Boomer studied how the human body reacted to the water in a pool. From there, Boomer developed swimming techniques similar to those used by aquatic animals, and those techniques would then be adapted by some of the best swimmers in the world. Boomer's techniques emphasize keeping the core body aligned properly to minimize water resistance.

Boomer and his coaching staff were named the 1998 UAA Coaching Staff of the Year. Boomer also coached the men's soccer team at the University of Rochester from 1965 to 1969, leading the team to a 24-26-3 record. Boomer was inducted into the University of Rochester Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.