Coach Ed Gurka to Retire After 49 Seasons at William Paterson University | SwimSwam

By Casey Murphy on SwimSwam

William Paterson University head coach Ed Gurka has announced his retirement after 49 years leading the Pioneers. William Paterson is a Division III school in Wayne, New Jersey.

Gurka started his journey with the Pioneers in 1976 and has recorded 861 total wins, including 448 with the women’s team and 413 with the men’s. While it has not been officially confirmed, Gurka is believed to hold the record for the longest coaching career in NCAA swimming at a single school.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to be the head coach at William Paterson University for 49 years,” Gurka said in a statement released by the university. “I have had the honor to work with all-Americans, conference champions, national record holders, conference record holders, and team record holders. I brought teams to train in the winter training trip to Trinidad and Tobago, Curacao, Barbados, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Florida, Aruba, Bermuda and Hawaii. This was a tremendous experience for me and our swimmers who have made lifelong memories and lifelong friends. I consider myself one of the luckiest people in the world to have worked at William Paterson College/University.”

Early in his career, Gurka coached Joe Gentile, a former NCAA Division III record holder in the 100 free, from 1981 to 1986. Gentile won five national championship titles and was the first swimmer to win the 50, 100, and 200 freestyle events at a single NCAA Championship.

Gentile is one of 13 athletes coached by Gurka who have been inducted into William Paterson’s Athletic Hall of Fame, including swimmers from the 1980s through the 2010s.

A few years later, in 1989, Gurka became the first NCAA swim coach across all divisions to reach 100 wins, coaching both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams at the same school.

Throughout Gurka’s career, his swimmers have earned 19 individual and six relay All-America honors on the women’s side, and 16 individual and one relay All-America honors on the men’s side.

Gurka reached his 400th win coaching the Pioneer women’s team in 2019 with a victory over Purchase College. He notched his 400th win leading the men’s team in 2024 against Lehman College, and celebrated his 800th overall coaching victory in 2022 during the women’s meet versus Baruch College.

Gurka has been involved in swimming for most of his life. A three-time all-state swimmer at Wayne Valley High School, he went on to compete in butterfly and medley events while earning a bachelor’s degree in physical education from the University of Maryland. Since 1977, Gurka has coached the Packanack Lake Swim Club during the summer. In 1984, he founded the Akrug Aquatic Club, formerly known as the Pioneers Aquatic Club. He has continued coaching both teams ever since.

With nearly five decades coaching multiple generations of Pioneers, Gurka’s retirement closes a significant chapter in William Paterson’s swimming program.

“It is the end of an era here at WP with the retirement of Coach Ed Gurka after 49 years of unwavering dedication to our University,” said William Paterson Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation Kristen Foley.

“He has shaped the futures of countless student-athletes, and we are grateful for his services and contributions to WP and our swimming and diving programs. Ed and his student-athletes always represented the University and the Athletics Department well, with the utmost respect and professionalism. We wish Ed and his family all the best in his retirement.”

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