Jamie Holder, former head coach at Dartmouth College. Courtesy: Dartmouth Athletics
Former Dartmouth head swimming & diving coach Jamie Holder has declined to return to his position after the school reinstated 5 previously-cut varsity athletics programs.
The school re-offered the previous head coaches of all 5 programs their jobs back. Men’s golf head coach Rich Parker, men’s lightweight rowing head coach Dan Roock, and diving coach Chris Hamilton accepted the offers. Women’s golf head coach Alex Kirk and head swimming and diving coach Jamie Holder declined the offers.
This means the school will begin searches for new head coaches to lead the men’s and women’s swimming & diving programs and women’s golf programs.
“I am very pleased that Rich, Dan and Chris have decided to return to our staff,” Interim Director of Athletics and Recreation Peter Roby said. “I look forward to working with all three as they have provided their student-athletes with exceptional experiences throughout their tenures. I also respect the decisions of Alex and Jamie, and we in Dartmouth Athletics wish them nothing but the best in their future endeavors.”
Like several other programs we’ve seen over the last year, Dartmouth announced the cutting of athletics programs to deal with budget shortfalls, projecting that the cuts would save the school more than $2 million.
Also like several other schools, Title IX lawsuits forced Dartmouth to reinstate at least the women’s programs, even though the school said at the time of cutting the teams that their percentage of female athletes in athletics program was “identical” to that of the student body.
Holder was hired at Dartmouth as the head coach prior to the 2016-2017 season. Before that, he spent 6 seasons as the head coach at Georgetown, where he was named the 2014-2015 Big East Men’s Co-Coach of the Year.
Before Georgetown, he spent 5 seasons as an assistant at his alma mater, Princeton. Holder is a 2000 graduate of another Ivy League program: Princeton.
Every Ivy League team sponsors both men’s and women’s swimming & diving programs. Dartmouth’s women finished 7th out of 8 teams at last year’s Ivy League Championship meet, while the men finished 8th out of 8 teams. Dartmouth, is the only school in the Ivy League that has never won a team title in men’s or women’s swimming & diving.
Dartmouth has two on-campus pools. Its main competition facility is the Karl Michael Competition pool, which is 25 yards long and has seating for 400 spectators. The school also has a separate pool, the Spaulding Practice Pool, with 4 25-yard lanes. The Karl Michael pool was built in 1963, while the Spaulding Practice Pool was built in 1919.
Well that was dumb of me to send him a recruiting email
Bruh
Jamie holder is a horrible coach, I was planning to go to dartmouth as long as he offered me a recruiting trip. Told me he would and when I brought it up again he said sorry I forgot, even though I would’ve been the fastest recruit for that year based on what they brought in. Glad he’s gone.
So he’s a horrible coach because he forgot to give you a visit? Maybe he was coaching his kids up or dealing with Dartmouth athletic department BS.
I think he’s a horrible coach because he was my coach and the worst I’d ever had at that. Made decisions that made us slower and had no desire to win anything. Looking forward to the changes Jesse Moore will bring to the program and tired of hearing people cap for a lackluster coach.
Jamie is a good man and a solid coach. I really hope he lands on his feet with a University that isn’t run like a clown show.
Perhaps one in Bloomington?
0% chance he lands in Bloomington. There are too many good coaches with much better resumes lining up for that job.
I know. This is the best coaching staff (and I’m not talking about GOAT Coach, Ray Looze) that we’ve had in forever. They are both great people and coaches.
Says the guy who praises IU. Lol
If Dartmouth (or ECU, any other program trying to cut) isn’t willing to give something like a 10 year guaranteed contract, you have to expect the next opportunity to cut the sport will be taken.
Does your job give you a 10-year contract? I don’t believe ncaa swim coaches get contracts longer than 2-5 years. And that’s due to the nature of athletics. I agree he’s right to question the longevity of a program that has already been cut. But there’s plenty of other good opportunities for this young coach.
If Big 10 schools like Michigan State are cutting despite all the football and Cable Channel revenues they receive, swimming and non revenue sports are at risk everywhere. Swim fans need to stay vigilant, tune in to swim broadcast/streams (even if you don’t actually watch it, make it appear your watching so viewership numbers, which draw advertisers think you are).
After wm was cut and reinstated, our conversations following have been all teams are at risk of being cut. But if the alumni stay engaged $, those changes diminish. A lot of big schools over the years have cut their programs it just matters who the AD is and how they feel about the non revenue sports.
Someone needs to post a video of their pool. Funkiest pool ever. The 1919 pool was decorated like a Greek bath last I saw it 20 years ago
Yeah but Pete Roby, who is the interim AD and deserves the job, is a stand up guy and wont be doing any program cuts.
How much money does he make
Wonderful news for Dartmouth swimming. Time for a real coach
At some level isn’t Dartmouth limited to what level of coach they can hire? Thinking salary and benefits compared to big name schools.
Salary needs to be compensatory with skills and results. Best for everyone to start fresh.
Maybe the coach decided its time to coach for a real university swim program. Relatively young guy and coaches don’t go to Dartmouth to advance their careers.
Hi Betty / Ruth. Did you write it once and then decide to change your name to something else? Jamie is a great coach. Time for a reality check
No we are sisters and wrote it at the same time. Jamie is not known as good among his swimmers. His recruiting practices have left him with a questionable reputation and many club coaches do not recommend his program. Not sure how great is defined but Georgetown did better after he left and Dartmouth did not move up the Ivy League versus historical trends. He was also passed over for the Princeton Men’s coaching job two years ago.
Jamie is not a good coach, he’s ambivalent at best. Dartmouth could be a respectable program, they’re in a competitive conference that has seen teams jump in the standings over the course of a season or two. It doesn’t happen with a coach with zero ambition.