Chuck Riggs enters his first year as an assistant coach with the University of Hawaii’s swimming program with 40 years of coaching experience under his belt. He comes in after having spent 26 years as the Founder, Head Coach and Chief Executive of the community-based Redlands Swim Team in Redlands, Calif.
Riggs has coached numerous high school and college All-Americans and USS National Finalists. He placed two swimmers on the USA Pan Am teams, coached a world and American record holder, coached a NCAA D-I champion, was an international coach for USA Teams in 1975, 1981 and 2000 and also was a member of the Southern California Swimming Board of Directors for 25 years. He also received the Phillips award from Southern California Swimming in 2001.
In 2008, Riggs was named Southern California Kevin Perry Coach of the Year after his men’s team took Junior National Champions. That year, Riggs was the first in the nation to coach two high school swimmers in breaking 20 seconds in the 50 free in the same high school championship meet. He was a featured speaker at the ASCA clinic on distance swimming in 1978. He is known throughout the United States as a successful swimming coach.
Riggs taught at the Jurupa Unified School District as a secondary teacher from 1971-2008. There, he taught various subjects such as English, philosophy, history, physical education and also worked as a budget coordinator. Additionally, he served as the head swimming coach for 18 years.
Prior to founding the Redlands Swim Team, Riggs served as the head coach for the Riverside Aquatics Association. He also coached two junior college All-American divers at Pasadena City College and was the head men’s and women’s swimming and diving coach at the University of California Riverside for a brief period of time.
Riggs earned degrees in Master of Arts from Azusa Pacific University, Bachelor of Arts from California State University at Los Angles, and General Educational from Riverside Community College.
In college, he was an All-American in 3-meter diving for California State University, Los Angles and a junior college All-American in both 3-meter and 1-meter diving at Riverside Community College.
Riggs is married to his wife Joan, they have four daughters and five grandchildren. He is very excited to be coaching the UH swimming program and looks forward to the program becoming one of the best programs in the country.
