Huber announces retirement after 24 seasons at IU

IU Diving Coach Jeff Huber announced his retirement Friday afternoon.

After 35 years of coaching at the top-tier levels in national and international diving, Huber has agreed to continue through August 2013 at the request of Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Fred Glass.

“Coach Huber’s leadership of the Indiana University Diving program is legendary,” Glass said in a press release. “With multiple national champions and Olympians over his quarter century at the program’s helm, Jeff has made his mark on the world stage representing IU with distinction.

"On a personal note, it has been an honor and a pleasure for me to have had the opportunity to know Jeff as a man of not only amazing ability, but great integrity. I wish him, Lesa, Julia, and David all the best in this new phase of their lives.”

Huber has been with the IU diving program for 24 seasons and has established himself as a 12-time U.S. National Coach of the Year. He also served as a coach for the United States at three of the last four Olympic Games and has been recognized 14 times as the Big Ten Coach of the Year, six times for women's and eight times for men's.

Throughout his career, he has led Indiana University student-athletes to 42 Big Ten titles and 19 Big Ten Diver of the Year awards.

Under Huber's reign, 123 NCAA All-America awards have been brought to Bloomington. Huber has sent divers to the Olympics, Pan Am Games, World University Games, FINA Diving World Cups and several USA Diving National Championships.

Recent Olympian and 2009 NCAA Champion on the 3-meter springboard, Christina Loukas, was coached by Huber.

“I verbally committed to Indiana University as a high school senior but changed my mind at the last minute,” Huber said in the release. “To have a second chance to come to IU and continue the diving tradition established by legendary IU diving coach Hobie Billingsley was a dream come true for me. The day I stepped on campus I felt like I had been here my whole life.

“There is no better place in the country than Indiana University.  My wife Lesa is a faculty member at IU and both of our children, Julia and David, are graduates of IU.  We are an IU family.  I want to thank the athletic department staff for their many hours of hard work and support."

The 2012-13 season has been successful for Huber and the IU diving program. After winning his first conference title on the 3-meter springboard last season, junior Darian Schmidt broke his own school record in the event on Jan. 19, 2013.

Earlier in 2012 on the women's side, senior Amy Cozad, also coached by Huber, finished third on the platform at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Diving Trials and was named as the delegation's alternate for the event at the games.

Eric Neuburger, the Associate Athletic Director for Facilities and and External Alliances will begin searching nationally for Huber's replacement immediately.