Ogoreuc

SLIPPERY ROCK — Bob Ogoreuc always has been in select company. Three weeks ago, he showed why.

An assistant professor in the physical education department and the aquatics director at Slippery Rock University, Ogoreuc was inducted into the Indiana County Sports Hall of Fame.

"It's a huge honor to be recognized by the Indiana County Hall of Fame," said Ogoreuc. "It's where I grew up and started my career."

What made it even better was the fact that Ogoreuc, who resides in Grove City, is the lone swimmer among the Hall choices.

"There are only 150 athletes in the Indiana Hall of Fame in 25 years. When I heard that, that's a special thing," Ogoreuc said.

Ogoreuc was graduated from Indiana High School, then from Indiana (Pa.) University in 1989 with a degree in health and physical education with an emphasis on aquatic administration.

Just two years later, Ogoreuc became the SRU men's and women's swimming coach, a position he held from 1991 to 2003, tallying a record of 101-55-1.

The Rock had three undefeated seasons, a PSAC runner-up finish and several all-Americans under his tutelage. Ogoreuc was named the conference men's coach of the year in 1997.

"A number of the guys from IUP would come back and help," said Ogoreuc. "You had these guys graduating from IUP, then go off to programs like Southern Miss and Emory (Ga.). How cool is it to go from IUP right into the coaching ranks?"

At that point, Ogoreuc was searching for a school where he could pursue a master's degree.

"I wanted to get a foothold on coaching a program," said Ogoreuc. "Fortunately, it was at Slippery Rock, and I'm loving what I do."

Ogoreuc earned a master's degree in physical eduction/athletic administration in 1996 at SRU and became more involved in teaching aquatic-specific courses. The university has a minor in aquatics because of him.

"I guess I started primarily with coaching, then teaching duties," said Ogoreuc. "At one time, it was a nice mix and afforded me the opportunity to work on national projects.

"It got to be so much time in the day that maybe it was best to concentrate in the academic area," he added.

Ogoreuc holds numerous certifications and has become a highly regarded national and international speaker and writer. He has served on national committees and, in 2005, was honored by Aquatic Magazine as one of the 25 Most Powerful People in Aquatics.

With the spring semester now finished, Ogoreuc will head to New Jersey, where he will train officers for the Ocean City Beach Patrol for the third consecutive summer

His duties include training lifeguards and working with the fire department on surf rescue.

"What this affords me is real-life experience. I value that. People can actually say, 'He's doing what he preaches,'" Ogoreuc said.