While men and women of the UW-La Crosse swimming and diving teams come and go, there has been one face on the pool deck in Mitchell Hall that has not changed in the last 16 years.  

It is the face of long time coach and mentor Dr. Richard Pein.   Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end as Dr. Pein has announced his retirement at the end of the 2011-2012 season.

Taking over the leadership roles of the men's team in 1979 and the women's team in 1985, Pein has led the Eagles' swimming team to many WIAC championships and more.

A 2006 inductee to the UW-L Hall of Fame, Pein has led the men's swimming team to a top 20 national finish in eleven of his 30 seasons. In 2010, he led his squad to 22nd place, which was their best showing since 1993.  On the women's side, success has been more of the same.  Pein has led the women Eagles to four top 12 NCAA division III finishes, their best being in the 2003-2004 season where they ranked fifth place.

In conference competition, Pein has helped the Eagles earn six of the last ten WIAC championships and ten overall conference titles, including four straight WIAC conference championships between the 2002-2005 seasons.  Their conference title in the 2003-2004 season was marked down in history because that was the first time a team in the conference had strung together three consecutive WIAC championships since 1997 (Eau Claire).

Furthermore, Pein also has had a lot of personal recognition for the work he has done in and around the pool at UW-L.  Pein was named WIAC coach of the year six times in the men's division and ten times in the women's division.  The Eagles overall record under Pein's control shows how successful his teams has been throughout his career at UW-L.  The men have compiled an overall record of 129-74. The women have had equal success compiling an overall record of 114-35, including a staggering 43-3 record for the past ten seasons.

Pein, who graduated from the University of Ohio in 1971, received  his graduate degree from the University of Illinois in 1979 and his masters from the University of Tennessee in 1990, has been teaching in UW-L's exercise and fitness department for 29 years.

When asked what it has meant to him to be a part of the UW-L community and what it was like teaching here for so many years, Pein was quoted on the UW-L athletics page saying, "One of the most enjoyable things of being here has been the interplay of ideas between faculty, staff and coaches," he then added," I've seen a lot of changes over the past 30 years, including the improvement of our academic standards. UW-L really attracts top-notch people."

While the search for Pein's successor will begin at the end of the school year, Pein's inspiration and dedication to our University will not go unnoticed.  A campaign to fund the re-naming of the UW-L pool facility is already in effect.  If the goal of $15,000 is met in one year, UW-L will name the facility after Dr. Richard Pein;  a fitting remembrance for a man who has given so much to our university and our athletics' program.