Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University department of athletics mourns the loss of former head coach Wayne Becker. Becker served as head coach of the men's and women's swimming & diving programs from 1987 to 2001 after beginning his career with the Dukes as an assistant coach during the 1986-87 season.
"Wayne was one of the first people to welcome me to Duquesne in 2001," head coach
David Sheets said. "Any time I had a question, needed help or someone to listen, he was there. He was a kind human being that cared deeply about the student-athletes he worked with and mentored. My condolences to the entire Becker family."
During his tenure at Duquesne, Becker helped build the foundation of the programs, attracting quality student-athletes and rewriting the record book. He guided the women's program to at least eight wins in four consecutive seasons from 1994 to 1998, and his 1998-99 squad finished with an overall record of 7-7 (.500) with a team that only returned a pair of seniors.
In addition to coaching numerous student-athletes during his time that qualified for the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships, Becker also had the Dukes in contention each season in both the Presidents' Athletic Conference as well as the Atlantic 10. In 1992, Becker was named the PAC Coach of the Year.
Becker joined the Duquesne coaching staff with over 25 years of coaching experience, including stints with the City of Pittsburgh Department of Parks and Recreation Summer Swimming League, the Coral Gables Aquatic Club and the Miami-Dade Junior College Swim Club. He graduated with honors from the University of Miami in 1974 and also earned a master's degree in education from Duquesne with high honors in 1990.
During an outstanding prep career, Becker was the City of Pittsburgh High School Champion in the 100 backstroke in 1968, 1969 and 1970 after claiming the 1965 YMCA state title in the event. He was the first student-athlete in Pennsylvania sports history to participate in two varsity sports concurrently during the 1969-70 campaign, competing in both swimming and basketball. He received a scholarship to play basketball for the Hurricanes, starting at forward for the freshman basketball program.
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