John Brucato, who built Bellarmine’s swim program from the ground up and coached at every level of the sport, died June 24 at age 63. Archive photo via Bellarmine University Athletics
The swimming world lost one of its most respected and beloved figures this week. John Brucato, a longtime head coach at Bellarmine University, died on June 24 at age 63, following a four-year battle with ALS.
Brucato served as head coach of the Bellarmine men’s and women’s swim teams from 2012 to 2023. He was hired to start the university’s first NCAA swim program and grew the team from 12 swimmers into a roster of more than 40. During his 11 seasons, he coached seven swimmers to All-American honors at the Division II level and led the program into its transition to Division I competition in 2020–21. That first DI season was highlighted by Matthew Sims’ gold medal swim in the 200 butterfly at the CCSA Championships…