Bob Laughna

Head Coach, Swimming
E-mail: rlaughna@nmu.edu
Telephone: 906-227-2827
At NMU Since 1985-86

Bob Laughna, who served as the interim head coach of the Wildcats during the 2002-03 season, was named the head coach in August 2007. He has over 20 years experience working with the NMU team.

In addition to his experience with the Wildcats, Laughna has been a head coach of the YMCA age group swimmers from 1985 and coach of the Marquette Gators since 1991.

Since 1990 he has been head coach for the men’s and women’s United States Deaf Association National Swim Team. His international coaching experience includes the World Invitational Meet in Canada (1991) and Russia (1992), the World Games for the Deaf  in Bulgaria (1993), Denmark (1997) and Italy (2001).

He was selected as the head coach of the United States Deaf Association National Swim Team for the Pan-America Games, which were held in the fall of 2003 in Argentina.

He also coached his daughter, Jenny, who swam for Northern Michigan (1996-99) earning NCAA II All-America honors 23 times.  His other daughter, Kaye-Lani, swam for NCAA I Wisconsin-Green Bay where she was a conference and team record-holder in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle events.

Laughna is a 1969 NMU graduate, earned his master's degree in deaf education from Eastern Michigan University in 1974 and also earned a master’s degree in administration/supervision from Cal-State Northridge in 1985.