Coach Cassidy To Step Down As PHS Swim Coach

Brian Cassidy has paced the Perkins High School Natatorium deck as head coach for the Boys and Girls Swim and Dive teams for the past eight years. Last week, Coach Cassidy announced to the team and the Perkins Athletic Department that he would step down as coach.

“The time is right,” Coach Cassidy said. With three young children, he acknowledged that while he cherishes his time coaching the Pirate swim and dive team, he wants to spend more time with his family. 

And, Coach Cassidy has enjoyed a successful run at the Perkins pool.

“I’m proud of what I’ve done,” Coach Cassidy said. “I’m going to miss the relationships and the time I spend with the kids.”

During his tenure, his Boys Swim team has won eight consecutive SBC Championships, and were District runners-up in 2019 and 2020 and 5th at the state meet in 2020. The Girls teams won the SBC Championships in 2018 and 2024. 

Additionally, he has had multiple swimmers step on the podium at the state championship meets, including Charlie Clark, the 500-freestyle state champion in 2020. 

Charlie says that everyone who swam for Coach Cassidy is “very grateful for everything” he has done for the program. Charlie, now a swimmer for Ohio State and eyeing a spot on the U.S. Olympic team in Paris, has known Coach Cassidy since he was in 3rd grade swimming for Vacationland Swim Club.

"Coach Cassidy was directly responsible for my improvement through high school, which resulted in being recruited by Ohio State," Charlie said. "Even after high school he has remained incredibly supportive of my career, and I am happy to say that I now consider him a friend."

Coach Cassidy has been head coach of the Boys and Girls team since the 2016-2017 season and an assistant PHS swim coach for two years under his predecessor, Coach Steve Cremean. Before coaching at the high school level, Coach Cassidy was also the head coach and assistant coach for the Briar Middle School team. 

However, Coach Cassidy will not be stepping away from Perkins entirely – Mr. Cassidy will remain an Algebra and Statistics teacher at Perkins High School, where he has taught for the past 15 years. Mr. Cassidy is a 2004 graduate of Perkins High School and a former PHS swimmer.

Athletic Director Brad Watson, who joined Perkins Schools at the start of the 2023-2024 school, said he has enjoyed working with Coach Cassidy this past season. 

“Coach Cassidy is knowledgeable, organized, and has built great relationships with our student-athletes,” Mr. Watson said. “He has been instrumental in the continued success of Pirate Swimming and Diving.”

The Boys and Girls Swim coaching positions have been posted, and the district is actively recruiting to fill the vacancy. Mr. Watson said he expects to have the position filled by May.