Passages: Carl Samuelson, Hall of Fame Coach at Williams College, 94
Carl Samuelson, a hall of fame coach who was a pillar of Williams College’s elite Division III program, passed away on Feb. 24.
Samuelson was 94 years of age. The college confirmed his passage in a letter of commemoration to the community on Monday.
Samuelson’s legacy was immense. The College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of American named him one of the top 100 coaches of the 20th century. He was one of 38 inductees to the Division III Swimming Hall of Fame when it was founded in 2024.
Samuelson began coaching at Williams in 1966 and remained at the school until 1999. When he was hired to lead the men’s team in 1966, he was just the third coach in program history, dating to 1907. He was named the inaugural coach of the women’s team in 1975, leading them to championships at the first two NCAA Division III Championships ever held in.
At Williams, he won the New England/NESCAC Championship on 27 occasions, including an 11-year streak of sweeping both the men’s and women’s titles. He mentored swimmers to 340 All-America certificates, including 39 individual and 23 NCAA relay titles. Williams’ aquatic facility is named the Carl R. Samuelson and Robert B. Muir Pool, named for Samuelson and the coach he succeeded.
“Coach Sam is among the beloved pantheon of legendary Williams coaches,” Director of Athletics Lisa Melendy said in a press release. “I hear all the time from alumni who credit him with shaping their Williams experience in meaningful ways. He will always be remembered for winning the first-ever women’s NCAA championship in 1982, and for paving the way for our women athletes and women’s teams to accomplish great things.”
Samuelson swam at Middletown High School in Connecticut. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Springfield College in Massachusetts, where he swam for coach Red Silvia. He began coaching for Springfield’s freshman team and as an assistant on the varsity team from 1957-66.
“Coach Sam was caring, genuine, generous, and gracious—a consummate leader who was motivating, funny, and loving,” said current Williams coach Steve Kuster, who succeeded Samuelson in 1998. “He was truly inspirational, but above all he valued connection. He had the rare ability to bring out the very best in others, to help people see potential in themselves they may not have recognized, and to lead with both strength and heart. The success we have experienced over the past 25 years is, in large part, a reflection of what Coach Sam built and nurtured during his time at Williams. He created a culture rooted in excellence, character, and care for one another. He will be deeply missed by so many, but his legacy endures—in many places, and especially every single day with the Williams Swim and Dive team.”
Samuelson was predeceased in 2020 by his wife, Nancy. He is survived by three children – Lynn, Susan and Matthew – as well as grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
A full obituary is here. Williams’ letter shared remembrances from the community of hundreds of swimmers that Samuelson mentored.
