Pat Greenwell
5/10/2002 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Pat Greenwell
Diving Coach
pgreenwell@ia.ua.edu
(205) 348-3915
* 21st Season at Alabama
For Alabama diving coach Pat Greenwell, who is in his 21st season with the Crimson Tide, the trip through his two decade Crimson Tide span, punctuated as it is by champions, both conference and national, Olympians and All-Americans, is easily documented.
Greenwell, who started with the Crimson Tide in the fall of 1987, has been named Southeastern Conference "Diving Coach of the Year" a league record five times and has coached the Tide to six SEC "Diver of the Year" honors. Two of his athletes have won NCAA championships, with Brent Roberts winning the platform in 1998 and Lane Bassham winning the three-meter board in 2004. Greenwell's athletes have earned 58 All-American honors and won 16 SEC titles since 1988.
The 2004 season also saw Greenwell recognized as the NCAA Championships "Coach of the Meet" after Bassham took first off the three-meter, second off the one-meter and both she and Crystal Rasmussen earned All-American honors, leading Alabama to 21st place. Bassham was also named "Diver of the Meet" for her efforts.
The success of Greenwell's student-athletes isn't limited to the pool. Smith earned and SEC Postgraduate Scholarship, one of the league's highest academic honors, last spring. Jill DeVasher earned the same award in 1998. Mark Rourke, a 1991 graduate of the program, brought the swimming and diving program its first NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, one of the most prestigious awards offered on the national level.
Internationally, former Greenwell students Rafael Alvarez and Rourke have both finaled at the Olympics and Roberts was the United States Olympic team alternate on the platform in 2000 after finishing third at the Olympic Trials. Under Greenwell's tutelage, Rourke became the first diver in conference history to win all three diving events at the SEC Championships, doing so in 1991.
The Tampa, Fla. native inherited the tradition rich Alabama program in the fall of 1987, after a five-year stint at Clemson University. While coaching Clemson, Greenwell earned his master's degree in post-secondary counseling.
He dove collegiately at the University of Pittsburgh, garnering All-America honors on the way to earning a bachelor's degree in health and physical education in 1981.
An active member of U.S. Diving as both a coach and a judge, Greenwell has served as the U.S. National Coach for competitions in China and Canada. In 1997 and 1999 he served as the U.S. judge at the World University Games.
Greenwell married the former Debbie Purifoy in May of 2003. Debbie is the director of the Alabama spirit squads, including the cheerleaders and the Crimson Cabaret dance squad.
