Roy Fielding (2007) - Hall of Fame

Roy Fielding

Induction:
2007
Class:
1977

Roy Fielding made a splash for the University of Northern Iowa’s men’s swimming team both as an athlete and a coach, but his time at UNI proved to just be the beginning of a career that has seen Fielding make waves throughout the aquatic community.

Fielding first left his mark on the Panther swimming program in a four-year career that saw him earn the Jim Witham Award as the UNI team’s most outstanding swimmer, as well as recognition from the Outstanding College Athletes of America, as a senior in 1973. That senior season saw Fielding complete the bachelor’s degree in physical education and health he had begun working toward in 1970 and move on to the post-graduate world.

He never strayed far from the pool, spending the next two years working for the City of Ames, Iowa, as its director of aquatics before returning to Cedar Falls to undertake a master’s degree in physical education. Fielding earned that degree in 1977 but stuck around another year to serve as assistant swimming and head diving coach for the UNI men’s team for which he had starred just a few years earlier.

Then, after a year of working with the Panther swimmers, Fielding, a graduate of Northern University High School in Cedar Falls, left his hometown again. This time, the move was permanent as he accepted the position of director of aquatics at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, a title he held for more than 30 years.

Since moving to Charlotte, Fielding has become a recognized leader in the aquatics world. The American Red Cross has utilized Fielding’s expertise in developing its lifeguarding course and training manuals, while he also has assisted the National Swimming Pool Foundation with its pool operator manual. In fact, the U.S. Water Fitness Association and Aquatics International magazine in 2004 named him one of 100 outstanding aquatic leaders in the United States. Fielding also is the recipient of numerous service and career achievement awards from a variety of aquatics organizations and has served a seemingly countless number of organizations as an officer or board member.

Fielding returned to coaching in 1988 and spent four seasons as head coach of both UNC Charlotte’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams. He was named Coach of the Year for both men’s and women’s swimming by the Atlantic States Conference in 1990 and then earned Women’s Coach of the Year honors from the Southern States Conference in 1992. Though the university no longer offers swimming as an intercollegiate sport, Fielding continues to serve as faculty advisor for UNC Charlotte’s club team, as well as its club rugby team. He also is a senior lecturer in the university’s department of kinesiology and the coordinator of its exercise science program. In 2007, Fielding was honored with UNC Charlotte’s Lifetime Achievement for Student Organization Advising award.

Fielding already has certified more than 500 American Red Cross lifeguard and water safety instructors and more than 7,500 scuba divers, as well as training more than 5,000 swimming pool and spa operators. He also developed The Pool Professor software that is now being used to manage more than 20,000 aquatic facilities around the world.