Janet Evans

An important force in Evans' swimming career was Richard Quick, a longtime Olympic coach and the coach of the women's swimming and diving programs at Stanford University for more than 15 years. Quick was the head coach of the men's and women's swim teams at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, assistant coach of the women's team in 1992 in Barcelona, Spain, and head coach of the women's team in Atlanta, Georgia, the three Olympics in which Evans participated. In addition Quick was assistant coach of the men's and women's swim teams at the 1984 Olympics and head coach of the women's team at the 2000 Olympics.

Born in Akron, Ohio, Quick was raised mostly in Austin, Texas, where he learned to swim under the tutelage of coach Bill Crenshaw at the Austin Aquatics Club. After graduating from high school, Quick attended Southern Methodist University (SMU), where he was an All-American swimmer in 1965 and 1966. He began his coaching career at Spring Branch Memorial High School in Houston, Texas, where he guided the school's swim team to six state championships. Quick next served as assistant coach for the men's team at SMU, his alma mater. In 1976 he launched the women's swimming program at SMU. He later served as head coach at Iowa State University, Auburn, and the University of Texas. In the fall of 1988, he took over as head coach of the women's team at Stanford, guiding the team to multiple NCAA national titles.