Introduction of Don Megerle, presented by Varney Hintlian, Former Tufts Men's Swimming Captain and Former Chair of the Athletics Board of Advisors

Of the countless stories told over the years about our last inductee of the evening, there’s one that may best represent the type and depth of relationship he has developed and maintained with the thousands of student-athletes he has coached during more than 50 years at Tufts University.

In the late 1980’s, both parents of one of Coach Don Megerle’s former swimmers were tragically killed in a car accident. Without a moment’s hesitation, Don dropped everything and left Medford for a full week to be with this young alum, to provide support, and to help ease his pain. Several team members attended the funeral; it was there that one of the relatives of the family approached Don. She told him that she knew the team called him “Coach,” but it wasn’t until she saw him interacting with his student-athletes that she understood why.

“His own personal life was sacrificed for his team,” a student-athlete who was there said. “Swimming for him was just the beginning of the relationship. After we left Tufts, he continued to care and keep in touch.”

There simply isn’t enough time to cover all of Don’s accolades and accomplishments earned over 33 years as the Jumbos' swim coach, but I’ll hit some highlights:

•    Don was a seven-time New England or NESCAC Coach of the Year whose teams produced 92 All-Americans and 2 national champions;
•    In 1991, Don was the first-ever recipient of the Dick Steadman Award presented by the International Swimming Hall of Fame. This prestigious award is given to an individual who has done the most to spread happiness in the sport. Can you imagine a better first recipient of that award than Don Megerle? I’m sure Dick Steadman, a world-renowned swimming and diving coach, was a great guy, but in my opinion, they should re-name the award after Don!!;
•    In 1997, Don was recognized as Tufts’ first-ever “Master Coach”; 
•    In 2007, Don received the National Collegiate & Scholastic Trophy, which is the highest honor granted by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America;
•    And recently, Don was named one of the 100 Greatest Swimming & Diving Coaches of the Past 100 Years. And this award covers all three NCAA divisions!
 
And while Don was accomplishing all of this, he was also known as the best NCAA Championship Meet Coordinator in the country. He somehow had the patience, passion, and dedication to run 32 NCAA Division I Men’s Championships, 28 NCAA Division III men's meets, and 22 NCAA Division III Women’s events over the course of his career.

The word “legend” gets overused these days – but the term really applies to Don Megerle. But even more than all the accomplishments I just described, what truly stands out more than anything else is the care, love, support and mentoring he has always provided for his student-athletes not only during their time at Tufts but throughout their lives after Tufts. And there is no better example of this reciprocal love than the fact that Don was an usher in more than 10 of his former swimmers' weddings and a godfather to many of their children. Family has always been important to Don, and he has a big one!

"Coach was completely unique," said Marc Benvenuti, a 1996 graduate of Tufts and the current head men's swimming and diving coach at Connecticut College. "He coached you as a person, a student, and an athlete. I don't believe anyone else has ever put all those things together the way Coach did. Tufts would not have been Tufts without him." 

Don’s coaching, caring, and mentoring continues today in his role as the Director of the Tufts Marathon Team. His work with the Marathon Team is so unique that it was featured in a PBS Documentary in 2007. And I won’t name any names here, but based on some of the people Don has coached – or coaxed – across the marathon finish line, we may need to add “Miracle Worker” to his list of descriptors. In total, Don has supported more than 2700 runners in their quest for a Boston Marathon finisher’s medal. And this next stat is pretty amazing – more than 99-percent of those 2700 runners have crossed the line, worn that medal around their necks and raised over $7M for the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition! 

I must wrap this up, but I haven’t even mentioned his epic Christmas decorating skills. Coach used to host the annual Department of Athletics Holiday Party at Hamilton Pool after spending who knows how many hours giving the facility a holiday makeover. Hanging long, drooping lines of lights with lots of electricity coursing through them right over the pool itself might have been somewhat questionable – but the point is, this is just another example of Don going the extra mile to bring happiness to others. He even convinced the Medford Fire Chief that it was OK to have all that electricity around the water – a testament to Coach’s persuasive skills!

We could be here all night extolling the virtues of Don and all his contributions to the Tufts community. But Don, just know that we love you, we cherish you, we thank you ... and we welcome you with open arms into the Tufts Athletics Hall of Fame!