OSD Swim Coach Dubbed Best in the State

By Alyssa Schnugg
News editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

Oxford School District swim coach Robert Gonzalez has been named Swim Coach of the Year by the Mississippi Association of Coaches.

Gonzalez was recognized Monday evening by the Oxford School District Board of Trustees as District Athletic Director Mike Martin presented him with a plaque.

“He absolutely eats, sleeps, breathes swimming year-round,” Martin said of Gonzalez, who has been with the OSD for five years. “I’ve never seen someone so dedicated to the sport and I sincerely mean that.”

Gonzalez, a science teacher at OIS, is now eligible to compete with eight other Southeastern states with the winner moving on to the National MAC Conference.

Members of his swim team attended the meeting and gave Gonzalez a standing ovation after Martin presented him with the plaque.

The swim season just ended with the girls’ team finishing third in the state, and the boys’ team finishing fourth in the state in the 6A division.

“We are very proud of that accomplishment,” Martin said.

According to the OSD, Gonzalez is an Accredited Interscholastic Coach and a Certified Interscholastic Coach. He has been swimming since age 4 and was a junior national qualifier. After high school, he attended Mississippi State University and coached Starkville High School and their club swim team. Following graduation in 2012, he took his first teaching job at Tunica Middle School and coached the inaugural swim program at Rosa Fort High School.

Gonzalez led the 2017 and 2018 OHS swim team to third in the MHSAA state championships, whereas they were unranked in previous years. Last year, the boys finished with an overall record of 40-4 and the girls finished 42-2.

“Our program is proud and honored to receive this award because that is exactly what it is: a collective effort,” Gonzalez said. “I personally am proud that the voters recognized our team’s improvement moving into where we are today. No program in our state has seen the climb upward more than we have the past five years. We are moving in the right direction and we have a lot of untapped potential talent I hope to see discovered.”