Brian Reiff: Two decades as swimming HC at Brookfield High
BROOKFIELD, Conn. — There are few coaches who have had the success that Brian Reiff has had coaching Swimming and Diving at Brookfield High School. Now in his 20th year, his accomplishments in and out of coaching speak to his drive and dedication and success in any endeavor he takes on.
Born and raised in Brookyn, NY, Brian attended Tildon High School, a NYC public school. A strong athlete there, Brian was a swimmer and baseball player. Upon graduation, Brian enjoyed his first taste of Connecticut attending Quinnipiac University where he continued his baseball career while majoring in Mass Communications. His goal; to be a broadcaster. Shortly after graduating he was offered a job at WINF in Manchester CT. His excitement was slightly dampened when told that before he could be on air he had to spend 6 months selling advertising. When his 6 months were up he marched into his boss to his dismay, he was told he was the #1 salesperson at the station and they could not pull him away from sales. He promptly quit.
Returning to Brooklyn he took a job with American Express, again with the promise that he would someday land media dept. But first his job was upgrading cardholders from the traditional Green card to Gold. He again requested a timetable to join the media dept. and was again told he was the #1 salesperson in conversions and the media dept. was not in his future. Once again, he quit.
Having met his future bride, Kathy, at Quinnipiac, they jointly decided to move to CT, settling in Waterbury taking a job halfway between their respective jobs. Abandoning his dream of being a broadcaster, he started a job at Seven D Wholesale, a building materials distribution company. Within a year he was asked to manage the company and is still Executive Vice President today. With his day finishing early, Brian applied and was named the Boys Swimming and Diving coach at Newtown High School.
Having started their family, Kathy and Brian looked for a new town and fell in love with Brookfield. They have been Brookfield residents for 32 years. As their oldest son, Matt, was in 8th grade and would soon be swimming at Brookfield High, Brian left Newtown. Not only did he want to watch his son compete, he also did not want to be coaching against him! Fortunately for him and BHS, the swimming and diving coach left about a year later and Brian was offered the job. The rest is history.
It is not easy competing for Brian. There are often 8 practices over 6 days, two of which start around 5:30 am on a school day. Those same days will also have the regularly scheduled practice from 7-9 pm. As BHS has no pool, practices are held in the bubble at the Greenknoll YMCA. Swim meets can often be an hour or more away. But it is obvious that this regiment under Brian produces results and his athletes buy in.
Brian’s coaching resume’ is highlighted in below. His milestones include 6 state titles, Coach of the Year at BHS 6 times, and 35-40 All State Athletes. But 2016 holds a special meaning for Brian. In that year he coached both the boys’ and girls’ teams to State Championships. But the girls’ win was extra special. It is the only girls swimming and diving state championship in school history. Seeded around 8th, they upset the #1 seed, Laurelton High, in a relay in which Laurelton was heavily favored. Brian’s coaching ingenuity combined with his team’s trust in their coach helped them reach this milestone. Brian conceived a plan in which his best relay team did not swim in the preliminary heats. So when it came for the finals, Laurelton was understandably overconfident. To their surprise a new foursome appeared and shocked all those in attendance, winning the race and the state title. This is Brian’s favorite moment as a coach. In addition to the many titles, Brian has also coached 2 future UCONN Swim team captains as well as one at Ohio State.
Brian continues to reside in Brookfield with Kathy, an Occupational Therapist in the Region 14 school district. Their children obviously inherited the work ethic and drive of their parents. Matt lives in the UK and is a project manager at Epic Medical Records. Jamie is Dean of Students at the Classical Charter School in NYC. Kelsey is a Speech Language Pathologist at Meadow Ridge in Redding Ct.
We thank Brian for his many years of service, congratulate him on his many successes, and given his record know that there will be more to come.
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