By Sean Griffin on SwimSwam
The swimming world lost one of its most respected and beloved figures this week. John Brucato, a longtime head coach at Bellarmine University, died on June 24 at age 63, following a four-year battle with ALS.
Brucato served as head coach of the Bellarmine men’s and women’s swim teams from 2012 to 2023. He was hired to start the university’s first NCAA swim program and grew the team from 12 swimmers into a roster of more than 40. During his 11 seasons, he coached seven swimmers to All-American honors at the Division II level and led the program into its transition to Division I competition in 2020–21. That first DI season was highlighted by Matthew Sims’ gold medal swim in the 200 butterfly at the CCSA Championships.
Before joining Bellarmine, Brucato spent 12 seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Kentucky, while also serving as head coach of Wildcat Aquatics. During that time, he developed numerous NCAA All-Americans, conference finalists, Olympic Trials qualifiers, and two Olympians.
With Wildcat Aquatics, Brucato coached Megan Kleine, who won gold in the 4×100 medley relay at the 1992 Olympics, and played a major role in the development of Elaine Breeden, a 2008 Olympian in the 100 and 200 butterfly and a two-time NCAA champion at Stanford University.
Brucato’s age group swimmers consistently advanced to national-level meets, where they earned top-16 finishes, Junior National titles, and Senior National qualifying times. He also served as a coach and manager at two USA Swimming National Select Camps and was selected to coach at the U.S. Olympic Festival.
In 2021, he publicly announced his ALS diagnosis but continued coaching through the 2022–23 season.
In 2022, Bellarmine honored him with the Cura Personalis award, recognizing his dedication to the overall development of his student-athletes. Just earlier this month, Brucato was honored with induction into the Bellarmine Athletics Hall of Fame, becoming its 180th member and the first from the swimming program.
Brucato is survived by his wife of 39 years, Jan; his daughter, Katie (Pat) Kelly; and his grandchildren, Olivia and Brooks Kelly. He is also survived by his brothers, Mike (Lori) Brucato and Tom (Cyndi) Brucato. He was preceded in death by his parents, Mike and Mary Ann Brucato.
Services will be held Wednesday, July 2, at Holy Family Catholic Church in Louisville, Kentucky. Visitation will be from 9:00 to 10:45 a.m. EST, with a time for tributes from 10:45 to 11:20, followed by a funeral Mass from 11:30am to 12:45pm.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Bellarmine University Swim Team Scholarship Fund.
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