Hall of Fame
Ray Riordon founded Towson University’s swimming program and served as its coach for its first 30 years. He was twice named Towson’s Coach of the Year.
Riordon began his coaching career at West Virginia University where he was the Mountaineers’ swimming coach in 1963-64 when the Mountaineers finished 4-8-1. A year later he was on Towson’s campus. He arrived at Towson several years before construction on Burdick Pool was completed and was hired by athletics director at the time, Donald “Doc” Minnegan, in anticipation of its opening. When it did finally open he was immediately named the aquatics director and the coach to start the swimming program.
While waiting for Burdick Pool (initially called Memorial Pool) to open in the spring of 1968, Riordon coached cross country for three years to a 16-8 dual meet record. He also directed the track squad to a two-year record of 14-2. Once Burdick Pool opened, he devoted his full energy to building an intercollegiate swimming & diving program for Towson.
Over the next three decades the Towson men’s squad compiled a 246-176 record, a mark that included 23 winning seasons and seven conference championships (one Mason-Dixon, six Tri-State). In 1972 Towson added women’s swimming. From 1988 until his retirement from coaching in 1998 he directed the women’s squad too, amassing a 55-58 record, closing out with six consecutive winning seasons.
During a three-year period from 1980-83 the Tiger men posted an impressive 35-2 record that included a streak of 29 consecutive victories and two undefeated seasons.
Born in Alexandria, Va., Riordon grew up in Washington, D.C. He attended Shepherd College where he excelled in baseball and swimming. As a pitcher he posted a 16-4 career record for the Rams. In the water he set school records in the 400-yard freestyle, 200-yard individual medley and 300-yard relay. He graduated in 1956. Thirty years later, in 1986, he was among the six men that formed the first class to be inducted into the Shepherd College Hall of Fame. He later earned a Master’s degree from Miami of Ohio.
After graduating from Shepherd, Ray joined the Marine Corps, rising to the rank of captain, serving on active duty and in the reserves until 1964.
Coach Riordon passed away on April 23, 2021 at his home in Millsboro, Del. He was 87-years-old.
