Phil Swimley's name has been synonymous with UC Davis baseball since 1966, during which time he has built a legacy for the Aggie program. In 2002, Swimley's last year in an Aggie uniform, the season culminated with the Aggies advancing to the championship game of the California Collegiate Athletic Association tournament, upsetting the nation's No. 1-ranked team, Chico State, along the way. In mid-April, the Aggies went on a nine-game winning streak and finished the season capturing 14 of its final 19 games. That squad produced two pitchers that were taken in the first 16 rounds of the 2002 Amateur Baseball Draft.
Swimley, the 1995 NABC West Region Coach of the Year, amassed a 902-832-15 (.516) overall record at UC Davis. Six times he led his squads into the NCAA Div. II West Regionals, advancing to the World Series in 1995. He concluded his career as the just the ninth coach in NCAA Div. II history to earn 900 career wins.
Since 1966, Swimley coached eight conference championship teams and 561 league victories. The Aggies had more than 800 wins with Swimley, despite playing a schedule that included every major college baseball program in Northern California.
Twenty-nine of Swimley's former players have signed professional contracts.
After an illustrious playing career, Swimley accepted a coaching opportunity at San Joaquin Delta College. After earning his master's degree in physical education from Cal State Sacramento, Swimley came to UC Davis as an assistant football coach and head baseball coach in the fall of 1965. In 1977, Swimley spent a sabbatical year as an assistant coach at the University of Arizona, the defending NCAA champs that year.
Swimley was inducted into the UC Davis Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.
