Hall of Fame
Jerry Champer, 2012 - The winningest coach in Western Illinois Swimming and Diving history, Jerry Champer was a six-time Mid-Continent Conference 'Coach of the Year' during his tenure from 1994-2001.
His 102 career wins (102-91-1, .526 winning percentage) easily outdistance number two on the all-time coaching list. Champer won four men's coaching awards (1996-99) and two on the women's side (1995, 1999). He also received the Illinois Men's University Division 'Coach of the Year' award in 1998 and 2000.
Western's men and women dominated the Mid-Con during Champer's tenure. The men won four consecutive titles and were runner-up twice during his seven years in charge, while the Western women captured one title and were runner-up five times. No team coached by Champer ever finished lower than third place at the conference championships.
He was a two-time Southern States Conference 'Men's Coach of the Year', leading Western to a title in 1999 and 2000. The 2001 men won the Midwest Championships title and he was named 'Coach of the Year'.
Champer coached 44 individual conference champions and 46 all-conference distinctions. He also coached the only Leatherneck swimmer to ever compete in the Olympics (Zurab Beridze for the Republic of Georgia at the 2000 Sydney Games).
After leaving Western, he worked two years as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Georgia then joined the staff full-time, now in his current role as Associate Head Coach. During his time with the national powerhouse Bulldogs he has coached three NCAA individual champions, one United States Olympian and a world record holder. The Bulldogs won the 2016 NCAA women's national championship.
Champer is married to Lu Harris-Champer, the head softball coach at Georgia and softball letterwinner and graduate of Western Illinois (1992/1994). They have three daughters: twins Jenna and Emma, and Mya.
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