Olympic champion swimmer Ryan Lochte joins MSU as assistant coach

provided by Missouri State University

Missouri State University announced the hiring of former Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte as an assistant coach for both the men’s and women’s swim teams.

Last edited 2:28 p.m., May 11, 2026 [Editor's note: Pay information has been added.]

Ryan Lochte, one of the most decorated Olympic swimmers in the modern era, will join Missouri State University this summer as an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s teams, according to a May 10 announcement from head diving coach Dave Collins.

Lochte won a total of 12 medals, including six gold, across four Olympics – Athens in 2004, Beijing in 2008, London in 2012, and Rio de Janeiro in 2016 – and is the third most decorated swimmer in Olympic history, behind Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky.

“His experience and proven success at the highest levels of our sport will have an immediate impact on our program and our student-athletes. Beyond his lengthy list of accomplishments as an athlete, Ryan has a work ethic that will translate very well on deck as a coach,” Collins said in the announcement. “When you have the opportunity to bring in one of the best ever in our sport, you do everything you can to make it happen. Adding Ryan to the staff at Missouri State further shows the forward momentum of our program and the commitment we have from our administration.”

MSU said Lochte, 41, will join the Bears this summer. His name was not among a list of 18 newly hired coaches and administrators that went before the MSU Board of Governors during the May 7 meeting. Of those, 14 of the hires were in football.

According to Lochte's contract with MSU, which was signed May 10, he will be paid $34.10 an hour or an estimated $30,000 a year. The contract runs from Aug. 1 through June 30 and may include coaching in camps or clinics. The agreement also includes payment incentives based on achievements including $750 for a conference championship in swimming and diving and $500 per individual or group that qualifies and competes in an NCAA Championship.

Lochte said, as part of the announcement, that the culture at MSU stood out.

“There's a strong sense of purpose, accountability and team-first mentality. You can tell this is a program that's building something meaningful and sustainable,” he said in the announcement.

He praised Collins, who recently completed 14 seasons as head coach, and associate head coach Chelsea Dirks-Ham for developing an “environment that emphasizes development, not just performance.”

“That really resonates with me. Their vision for the program aligns with how I see the sport – developing complete athletes and great people,” Lochte said in the announcement. “Being able to learn from them while also bringing my own experience to the table made this opportunity feel like the right fit.”

Despite years of success in the pool, Lochte has also struggled. He lost high-profile endorsement deals and was banned from competitive swimming for 10 months in 2016, after falsely exaggerating a gas station incident in Brazil widely referred to as “Lochtegate.” Two years later, he was banned for 14 months by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency after receiving too large an intravenous infusion without having a therapeutic use exemption, according to reporting in the New York Times.

Lochte was born in New York and raised in Florida. He was a 24-time swimming All-American at the University of Florida, where he earned his degree in sport management in 2007, according to the announcement.

“This opportunity (at Missouri State) means everything to me,” he said in the announcement. “Swimming gave me structure, purpose and a platform to grow not just as an athlete, but as a person. To now step into a coaching role and pour that experience back into student-athletes is something I take seriously. At this level, it's about more than times and results. It's about helping young men and women build discipline, resilience and confidence that will carry them far beyond the pool. I've lived the highs and the challenges of this sport, and I want to use that perspective to guide them, support them and help them reach their full potential both in and out of the water.”

Lochte has twice received the American Swimmer of the Year Award. He has also won 90 medals in major international competitions, including 54 gold, spanning the Olympics, the World Championships, Pan American Games and Pan Pacific Championships, with 39 world championship titles.

“This opportunity isn't something I take lightly,” Lochte said in the announcement. “It's about building relationships, contributing to a winning culture and helping shape the next generation – not just as swimmers, but as people.”