Teri McKeever (born c. 1962) is an American college and Olympic

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

coach. She has been the head coach of the

California Golden Bears The California Golden Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Berkeley. Referred to in athletic competition as ''California'' or ''Cal'', the university fields 30 varsity athletic programs and various club te ...

women's swimming team at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, since 1993. Her Cal Bears teams have won four NCAA national championships. McKeever served as an assistant coach for the United States Olympic women's swim team three times (2004, 2008, and 2020), and as the head coach of the 2012 U.S. Olympic women's swim team.CalBears.com, Women's Swimming & Diving

Retrieved May 25, 2022

Early years

McKeever was born in 1962.CalBears.com, Women's Swimming & Diving
Teri McKeever
. Retrieved October 22, 2012. She was the oldest child in a family of ten children. Her father, Mike McKeever, and her father's twin brother,

Marlin McKeever Marlin Thomas McKeever (January 1, 1940 – October 27, 2006) was an American football defensive end, Fullback (American football), fullback and Punter (American football), punter at the University of Southern California (USC) and a tight end an ...

, both attended the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

, and were both first-team All-American linemen for the

USC Trojans football The USC Trojans football program represents University of Southern California in the sport of American football. The Trojans compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Pac-12 Con ...

team in 1959. Her father died in 1967 from head injuries received in a 1965 car accident, after twenty-two months in a coma. Her mother later remarried, and had seven more children with her second husband. The family athletic influence remained strong, with all of her nine siblings participating in a variety of sports. Her sisters Kristi and Kelli were members of the U.S. national field hockey team.

College career

McKeever attended the

(USC), where she swam for the USC Trojans women's swimming and diving team from 1980 to 1983 and joined international women's fraternity

Alpha Gamma Delta Alpha Gamma Delta (), also known as Alpha Gam, is an international women's fraternity and social organization. It was founded on May 30, 1904, by eleven female students at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York, making it the youngest member ...

in 1981. She competed in four NCAA national championship and contributed to the Trojans' four straight national top-ten finishes. She received All-America honors in 1980 and 1981, and following her 1983 senior season, she was recognized as the university's outstanding student-athlete. She graduated from USC with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in education in 1983, and later earned a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in athletic administration in 1987.

Coaching career

McKeever began coaching as an assistant coach at USC from 1984 to 1987. She has been the head coach of the

women's swimming team at the

since 1992–93. Since 1996–97 (her fifth season as head coach), her California Bears swim teams have consistently finished among the top ten Division I college teams in the nation. The Bears women have won five

Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...

team championships, and four NCAA national championships (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015). She has been named

Pacific-10 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division ...

Coach of the Year nine times and College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Coach of the Year five times After USC and before going to the Cal Bears, McKeever was the head coach of the Women's swimming team at Fresno State University in Fresno, California. McKeever's Cal Bears program has produced more than 25 members of the U.S. Olympic team, including Haley Cope,

Natalie Coughlin Natalie Anne Coughlin Hall (born August 23, 1982) is an American former competition swimmer and twelve-time Olympic medalist. While attending the University of California, Berkeley, she became the first woman ever to swim the 100-meter backstro ...

, Emily Silver,

Jessica Hardy Jessica Adele Hardy Meichtry (born March 12, 1987) is an American competitive swimmer who specializes in breaststroke and freestyle events. Hardy earned a bronze medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle and a gold medal in the 4×100-meter medley r ...

Dana Vollmer Dana Whitney Vollmer (born November 13, 1987) is a former American competition swimmer, five-time Olympic gold medalist, and former world record-holder. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, she won a gold medal as a member of the winning United States ...

Caitlin Leverenz Caitlin Leverenz Smith (born February 26, 1991) is an American competition swimmer who specializes in breaststroke and medley events. She won the bronze medal in the 200-meter individual medley event at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Early years Le ...

Rachel Bootsma Rachel Kristine Bootsma (born December 15, 1993) is an American competition swimmer who specializes in the backstroke, and is an Olympic gold medalist. Bootsma earned a gold medal as a member of the winning U.S. team in the 4×100-meter medley r ...

Missy Franklin Melissa Franklin Johnson (born May 10, 1995) is an American former competition swimmer and five-time Olympic gold medalist. She formerly held the world record in the 200-meter backstroke (long course). As a member of the U.S. national swim team ...

Kathleen Baker Kathleen Baker (born February 28, 1997) is an American competition swimming (sport), swimmer who specializes in freestyle swimming, freestyle and backstroke swimming, backstroke events. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, she won a gold medal in the Sw ...

, and

Abbey Weitzeil Abbigail "Abbey" Weitzeil (born December 3, 1996) is an American competition swimmer specializing in sprint freestyle. A multiple time Olympic medalist, she won a gold medal in the 4x100-meter medley relay for swimming in the preliminary heat ...

. Other notable swimmers include Elizabeth Pelton and Isabel Ivey. She previously served as an assistant coach for the United States Olympic women's swimming team at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

Athens, Greece Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, and the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

Beijing, China } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

.John Crumpacker,
Cal's Teri McKeever set to coach U.S. Olympic team
" ''San Francisco Chronicle'' (June 27, 2012). Retrieved October 22, 2012.Vicki Michaelis,

" ''USA Today'' (December 9, 2010). Retrieved October 22, 2012. In December 2010, she was selected as the head coach of the 2012 U.S. Olympic women's swim team that competed at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. She is the first woman to serve as the head coach of a U.S. women's national swim team at the Olympics. She previously served as the head coach the U.S. women's national team for the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. In 2014, she was inducted into the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) Hall of Fame.

Allegations of Professional Misconduct

On May 24, 2022, it was reported that Coach McKeever was accused of the alleged bullying and emotional/verbal abuse of Cal swimmers dating back to 2014. According to media, "At least 26 people have alleged that Cal women's swimming head coach Teri McKeever has created a toxic culture rampant with severe verbal and emotional abuse that has led to significant mental and physical health ramifications for team members." The same day, the

released a statement confirming the allegations but their privacy policy prevented the University from commenting on the case.

Personal

McKeever married Jerry Romani in 2007, after they met at a

California Golden Bears football The California Golden Bears football program represents the University of California, Berkeley in college football as a member of the Pac-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I, NCAA Division I FBS level. The team plays its home games at Californi ...

game.

References

External links

Teri McKeever
– University of California coach profile at CalBears.com {{DEFAULTSORT:McKeever, Teri 1962 births Living people American Olympic coaches American swimming coaches California Golden Bears swimming coaches USC Trojans women's swimmers USC Rossier School of Education alumni USC Trojans swimming coaches Fresno State Bulldogs swimming coaches