Joe Chirico has been named the diving coach at Northeastern, head swimming & diving coach Roy Coates announced Tuesday. Chirico returns to Northeastern, where he coached the divers from 1986-1995.
During his first tenure at Northeastern, Chirico coached several divers at the NCAA Division I National Championship and many conference champions. He mentored Katie Mailman and Dana Kozimor, who combined own four of the school's six diving records. Chirico earned numerous coaching honors while with the Huskies, including NCAA Division I Zone Coach of the Year, New England Coach of the Year and Eastern Seaboard Coach of the Year. After leaving NU in 1995, Chirico spent the next 15 years as diving coach first at Boston College, then at Wellesley College.
Chirico has been active in the sport of diving for over 40 years, competing as an age grouper and then for Boston University, where he was team captain and a record holder. In 1979, he established Boston Area Diving, also known as BAD. Now in its 32nd year, BAD continues to dominate the New England age group diving scene.
Chirico, who has coached several national champions, has international experience, leading US National-level teams in Canada, Mexico and throughout Europe. He has coached divers at the World Championship in Sydney and other international events in many countries including China, Austria and Slovakia.
Chirico is the director of diving for AAU Diving and plays a major role in that organization. He has judged many FINA and NCAA competitions. He is also the diving commissioner for the Bay State Games, and in 2008 was inducted into the Massachusetts Sports Foundation Hall of Fame for his work in the sport of diving. In the 1990s, Chirico held the position of Vice President of Junior Diving on the Board of Directors of United States Diving.
Chirico is a USD-certified trampoline instructor and is a USD safety instructor. Joe lives in Dover, Mass., with his wife Carol and two sons, Matt and Mike.