Hope College

John Patnott retired as head coach of the Hope College men's and women's swimming and diving program following the 2018-19 season.

He started Hope's program in 1978 and developed it into one of the nation's finest small college programs for men and women.

Three times in his career he was voted the NCAA Division III National Coach-of-the-Year by the College Swimming Coaches Association. He was named the men's national Coach-of-the-Year in 1991 and the women's national Coach of the Year in 1994 and 1998.

In 2023, Patnott was selected for the inaugural CSCAA Division III Hall of Fame Class along with seven-time national champion swimmer Josh Boss '02.

In 2021, Patnott was named to the CSCAA's 100 Greatest Coaches group as part of the organization's 100th birthday celebration.

In 2018, Patnott received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association.

Patnott coached 121 All-Americans and had national champions 31 times during his Hope career. He also had 41 CSCAA Scholar All-Americans since 1984.

Both Hope teams were annually competitive in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) and at the NCAA Division III national championship meet. He coached Hope teams to 31 conference championships — 20 by the women and 12 by the men.

Patnott was raised in the San Francisco Bay area where he swam competitively at the high school, YMCA and AAU levels. He earned the bachelor and master of arts degrees from California State University at Fresno and received the doctoral degree from the University of Utah in 1989. He lettered two years on the Fresno varsity swimming team, serving as team captain in 1969. As a senior, he was voted the team's most inspirational swimmer.

Patnott was an assistant coach at California State University in Fresno while working toward his degree and was a full-time instructor and the head swimming coach from 1972-77. Prior to coming to Hope, he was head coach of the varsity swimming and water polo teams at Bullard High School in Fresno and the advanced team coach of the Fresno Swim Club. Bullard was undefeated, winning its league title and section meet.

A professor of kinesiology at Hope, Patnott in 2003 was named the recipient of the Provost's Award for Excellence in Teaching in recognition of demonstrated excellence in specific activities or aspects of teaching. He and his wife, Phyllis, have three children.