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Men's Swimming and Diving
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- orr@princeton.edu
- Phone:
- 258-3544
• 322 career victories, the third-most ever for a Division I men's swimming coach
• 23 Ivy League championships, including seven of the last 10
• five straight Ivy League titles between 2009-13
• 60 All-Americas
• two NCAA championship relays
• coached multiple Olympians, including 1992 gold medalist Nelson Diebel
In a career that has spanned nearly four decades and a historic 23 Ivy League championships, Rob Orr continues to make history. In 2014-15, he claimed his 300th dual win and 22nd Ivy League title, was named the inaugural Ivy League Coach of the Year and received the prestigious Richard E. Steadman Award from the CSCAA.
This past season, he moved up to third on the all-time wins list for Division I swimming coaches (322), surpassing men's swimming legends Peter Daland (USC) and Doc Counsilman (Indiana).
Of course, Orr would much rather talk about team successes, and there are plenty there to remember.
Princeton trailed Harvard through almost all of the 2016 Ivy League championship meet, but his team put forth a dramatic rally to surge past the Crimson during the final session and win the program's ninth Ivy title in the last 11 years. Three weeks later, his 200 free relay went on to place 13th at the NCAA Championships to earn All-America honors. r
The Steadman Award, which Orr received in 2015, is conferred annually to a swimming or diving coach in high school, club, or university ranks who, in the opinion of the CSCAA, has done the most to spread happiness in Coach Steadman's beloved sport of swimming and diving.
The third-winningest active coach in the Princeton athletic department, Rob Orr has won 322 swim meets and 23 EISL/Ivy League Championships during an illustrious career that shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. He will begin his 39th season this fall with the program on one of its most impressive stretches. Princeton has also produced several All-America relays, including ones in 2016, 2012 and 2009. Orr has also coached several Olympians and NCAA champions, including 1992 Olympic gold medalist Nelson Diebel ’96 and Lennox, who competed in the 2008 Olympics.
His most recent NCAA champion was the 1990 foursome of Mike Ross ’90, Ty Nelson ’91, Leroy Kim ’93 and Erik Osborn ’90, who set an American record in capturing the 200-yard medley relay. Ross, Nelson, Rich Korhammer ’89 and Rob Musslewhite ’92 had won the event in 1989.
A 1972 graduate of Southern California, Orr has kept Princeton at or near the top of the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League/Ivy League. Princeton has enjoyed five Top 20 finishes at the NCAA championships under Orr’s watch.
Prior to the Ivy League developing its own Head Coach of the Year honor, Orr had been the EISL Coach of the Year six times, most recently in 1995. In 1990 he received the Master Coach Award from the College Swimming Coaches Association for his contributions to collegiate swimming.
He also served as head coach at the 1991 Olympic Festival and was the head women’s coach for the 1993 U.S. national junior team. He has also served on the NCAA Swimming and Diving Committee.
Orr has a master’s degree in physical education from USC and served as an assistant coach with the Trojan program for three years.
| Year | Overall W-L | Ivy W-L | Championships |
| 1979-80 | 8-2 | 6-1 | co-champion |
| 80-81 | 7-4 | 4-3 | |
| 81-82 | 9-2 | 6-1 | |
| 82-83 | 7-3 | 4-3 | |
| 83-84 | 9-2 | 5-2 | co-champion |
| 84-85 | 11-1 | 7-0 | champion |
| 85-86 | 11-0 | 7-0 | champion |
| 86-87 | 10-0 | 7-0 | champion |
| 87-88 | 9-1 | 7-0 | champion |
| 88-89 | 8-1 | 6-1 | co-champion |
| 89-90 | 10-2 | 6-1 | co-champion |
| 90-91 | 9-0 | 7-0 | champion |
| 91-92 | 9-1 | 7-0 | champion |
| 92-93 | 8-2 | 5-2 | |
| 93-94 | 10-0 | 7-0 | champion |
| 94-95 | 10-0 | 7-0 | champion |
| 95-96 | 9-3 | 6-1 | |
| 96-97* | 10-0 | 7-0 | |
| 97-98 | 9-0 | 7-0 | |
| 98-99 | 7-2 | 5-2 | |
| 99-00 | 9-2 | 6-1 | |
| 00-01 | 10-0 | 7-0 | |
| 01-02 | 7-2 | 5-2 | champion |
| 02-03 | 9-0 | 7-0 | |
| 03-04 | 9-1 | 6-0 | champion |
| 04-05 | 9-1 | 5-1 | |
| 05-06 | 8-3 | 6-1 | champion |
| 06-07 | 9-4 | 6-1 | champion |
| 07-08 | 8-1 | 6-1 | |
| 08-09 | 8-0 | 7-0 | champion |
| 09-10 | 7-0 | 7-0 | champion |
| 10-11 | 6-2 | 6-1 | champion |
| 11-12 | 8-0 | 7-0 | champion |
| 12-13 | 6-2 | 5-2 | champion |
| 13-14 | 6-2 | 6-1 | |
| 14-15 | 7-4 | 5-2 | champion |
| 15-16 | 7-0 | 7-0 | champion |
| 16-17 | 2-3 | 2-3 | |
| 17-18 | 7-4 | 5-2 | |
| TOTALS | 322-57 (.850) | 234-35 (.870) | 23 titles |
