Chris Morgan is a former American competitive swimmer and current professional American pool and open water swimming coach. He serves as the head coach of Gator Swim Club in Massachusetts, the co-founder and coach of Boston Water Polo Club, the assistant coach at MIT men’s water polo team, and organizes two ocean swims on behalf of the New England Open Water Swimming Association.

He conceived of the concept of 9 Hands of Swimming and is a KAATSU Master Specialist.

Coaching Career Highlights

• Morgan is currently serving as the head coach for the Gator Swim Team in Boston, Massachusetts and the assistant coach for MIT men’s water polo and the head coach for the Boston University masters swimming team.
• Morgan was formerly the assistant coach for both the Stanford University and Harvard University women’s swimming teams.
• Morgan was the head coach at the 2008 Beijing Olympics coach for Switzerland where he coached for 14 years.
• Morgan is a certified KAATSU Specialist who incorporates KAATSU Training and KAATSU Aqua into his competitive swimming programs at Gator Swim Team, Harvard University women’s swim team, and the Boston University masters swimming program.

Open Water Swimming Administration

Morgan and Dave Swensen run the New England Open Water Swimming Association (NEOWSA), the governing body of various open water swimming competitions in New England including the Beverly Shark Swim and the Clean Harbor Swim in Gloucester, Massachusetts (Gloucester Clean Harbor Swim).

Coaching Career

Previously, Morgan was a member of the Stanford University coaching staff, helping the school to a 4th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Morgan also coached in Switzerland from 1998-2011, most recently at Vevey Natation (2009-11) as the head coach. From 2004-2008 he was the head coach and technical director for Geneve Natation 1885, and was named the 2007 Coach of the Year. Prior to that he was a head coach at Red Fish Neuchatel (2000-2004) and served as an assistant at Geneve Natation 1885 (1998-1999).

Three of Morgan’s athletes competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Switzerland’s Jonathan Massacand, Barbados’ Andrei Cross and Montenegro’s Marina Kuc. He also coached at the 2010 European Championships in Hungary, the 2009 World Swimming Championships in Rome, the 2008 and 2008 European Short Course Championships in Hungary and Croatia, and three World University Games in Thailand in 2007, Turkey in 2005 and South Korea in 2003.

Morgan’s teams won eight Swiss club championships from 2000-2011 while his athletes won 30 national titles and 10 relay titles. Morgan saw over 30 of his athletes earn a spot on the Swiss national team and has sent athletes to eight world championships, 14 university games and 18 European championships.

Morgan began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Stanford under the late Richard Quick from 1994-98. In 1995-96 he was the assistant women’s coach at San Jose State, and prior to that he was a high school coach at Palo Alto’s Gunn High School (1994-97) for both the boy’s and girl’s programs. His first coaching job was as a Junior Varsity coach at Los Altos High School in 1993-94.

Education

A 1994 graduate of University of California Davis with a degree in biological sciences, Morgan earned his Masters in human movement and sports sciences from the University of Geneva in 2002. While at University of California Davis, Morgan was a conference champion in the 100 butterfly during his junior season in 1992.