Coach Profile: Mike Foley

Hannah Rice

Name: Mike Foley

Position: Swim and dive coach

Achievements: Foley believes his biggest achievement at WHS was in 2009, when the swim and dive team became the first team to ever win both the boys’ state meet and girls’ state meet in the same season.

Sports Idol: Foley has had many different sports idols he’s looked up to. One that especially stands out now is Bill Belichick, whose coaching style Foley tries to emulate. Foley believes that Belichick is able to get the most he can out of every single one of his players, which he aspires to replicate.

Favorite memory: Foley’s favorite memory as a swim coach is from one of his first years coaching at the league meet. One of his swimmers, Tom Devlin, broke six minutes in the five hundred meter for the first time. When Devlin came out of the water, he pumped his fists and gave Foley a hug. Seeing Devlin’s enthusiasm has stuck with Foley ever since.

Passion for coaching: Foley started coaching at the age of 15. He believes that he has had it in him for a long time, since he loved it right away. Foley loves the feeling of helping others improve and accomplish something new, knowing that he and the rest of the coaching staff had a piece in helping them.

Quote: “You can’t soar with the eagles during the day if you run with the donkeys at night.”