For Pete's sake

Swimmen coach humble after milestone

For a man who maintains winning isn't everything, winning has come rather easily for Penn State men's swimming coach Peter Brown.

Last Saturday, Brown coached the men's swimming and diving team (8-2, 3-2 Big Ten) to a 172-96 victory against La Salle. The victory brought Brown's win total at Penn State to 100 -- no other swimming and diving coach in Penn State history has reached that plateau.

One hundred victories will be seen as Brown's most outstanding accomplishment during his 14-year tenure at Penn State, but he has accomplished several other feats as well -- none of which the modest coach accepts full credit.

"I've gotten tremendous support from my staff," Brown said. "The 100 victories are not just because of me, it was our entire team."

Brown has never led the Lions to a losing season and has only 37 losses in his 14 years at Penn State. After taking the reigns in 1984, he led the Lions to three straight Atlantic 10 titles.

In his first seven seasons, Penn State never finished worse than third at the Eastern Championships and since 1992 he has formed one of the most formidable teams in the country -- both in the pool and the classroom. Brown has coached seven NCAA Academic All-Americans and guided 24 swimmers to the NCAA Championships.

Recently, Brown has coached the Lions to a level never before seen at University Park. During the 1995-96 season, he led Penn State to a school-record 9-1 mark that included winning the Nike Cup, where the Lions defeated five ranked opponents.

Last year, he led a record 20 scorers at the Big Ten Championships and two school-record times.

So far this year, it has been more of the same. The Lions are sporting a fantastic 8-2 record, just one win shy of tying an all-time record, and Brown has them peaking at just the right time -- two weeks before the Big Ten Championships in Minneapolis.

"Things are looking very positive for us at Minneapolis," Brown said. "I like our chances of moving up in the conference."

The competition will be fierce. The Big Ten swimming and diving scene is very cluttered. Besides the two powerhouses -- Minnesota and Michigan -- the rest of the conference is very close in talent and depth. Penn State could realistically finish as high as third place or as low as seventh.

But Brown feels where the Lions finish is not what is important.

"The Big Ten is very unclear," Brown said. "I just hope we swim and compete well."

Swimming has truly been a "family affair" for Brown. His wife, Jane, was a gold medalist in the 400-meter freestyle relay at the 1968 and 1972 Olympics and a bronze medalist in the 200-meter freestyle at the 1968 Games. In addition to the medals, she has also served as an assistant to Brown throughout his coaching career at Penn State.

The bond between Brown and his wife is not the team's only tight union. The swimmers, who admire his dedication, knowledge and ultra-positive attitude, feel very strongly toward Brown as well.

"He is so dedicated to the team," sophomore Robert Balazs said. "He has a great sense of what's going on."

Although Brown feels competition is important, he focuses on much more than winning.

"Winning isn't everything," Brown said. "It's what you learn and how you grow that counts."

So Brown thinks winning isn't everything, quite ironic for a man with 100 victories.