Rich Karban Position: Diving Coach Experience: Fifth Year

It is evident that Rich Karban, head diving coach at Cleveland State, is not only seen as one of the top coaches in the history of Cleveland State, but also the Horizon League. Karban has grasped the Horizon League Diving Coach of the Year honors for four consecutive seasons.

In each of the last four campaigns, the Vikings have swept the league diver of the meet honors. Most recently it was Chris Dalman winning both the one and three-meter dives in 2007 and the one-meter in 2006. Thatcher Carr was champion in the three-meter in 2006, as well the winner in both the one and three-meter titles in 2005. Chris Jones claimed the one-meter title and finished second at three-meter in 2004, Karban's first season as diving coach. He also coached Dalman to an 18th place finish in the one-meter dive at the 2007 NCAA Championships.

After an honorable diving career at Cleveland State in the early 1980's, Karban was inducted into the CSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000. He became only the second diver and fourth member of the swimming and diving team to be inducted.

In 1984, Karban became the first CSU diver and only the second swimming and diving athlete to win an Eastern Intercollegiate Championship when he won the one-meter dive. He helped the Vikings to the team title at the Penn-Ohio Championships during each of his four seasons as a student-athlete. His career culminated in 1984, when he was named the team's most outstanding athlete, and qualified for NCAA Zone Diving.

Karban began his coaching career as CSU's assistant diving coach from 1984-86. He became the Vikings' head diving coach during the 1986-87 season before leaving to work with Olympic diving coach Ron O'Brien.

Karban went on to coach diving at Eastern Michigan from 1989-94, earning Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year honors in 1992. He also coached the U.S. Diving Club to a fifth-place finish at the national championships in 1990, a squad that featured seven NCAA Championship finalists and one national champion.

Karban and his wife, Betsy, were married in 1988 and have two children, Richard and Elyssa.