Ashwaubenon Diving

10/17/2026

It has been a while since our last update on Coach Rich. He is still hanging in there, but I remember him as a real fighter and one who will not give up! He can't believe that he has made it this long, after being told he had between 2 days and 2 weeks to live, and that was JUNE 17 !
We had a long, friendly chat, about the past, present, & future. The past was mostly about our days at UW-Milw, including breaking in the brand new Klotche center / sports facility. We also shared almost 45 years since I moved back east, we both married & had families; places we went & things we did. Rich loved talking about his children (the youngest is now 36, I think). He loves them all so much, and has told me so many stories about how pleased and proud he was-and still is-of all of them, & now including his grandchildren too (one is in High school now?) He obviously is a very blessed man!
He also mentioned his "other family", from extended family, friends, coworkers, and people from places he lived, many church parishes, the army, and 50 years of coaching! He loved coaching and everyone he coached! He has competed himself into State tourney in High Scool and to the NCAA Division 1 Nationals in college, then coached others to similar heights. I know he enjoyed the successes of others more than his own.

Now to the present. Plain and simple, the doctor says there is nothing that can be done medically, including any surgeries, to improve his heart. Doc was astounded how he could still be alive in June! He is still going 4 months later! He has been in hospice care for about 2 months, but is still at his home. Rich is a man of very solid faith, convinced that God is blessing him with each day. He thanks God for every day and humbly asks for at least one more. Rich is also grateful for all of his visitors and those who have called, emailed, texted, etc... and for the various gifts he has received.

The future? Who knows about that. Rich would really love to make it to his 50th High School class reunion next summer. He knows that is very unlikely, but he did see many people at his 50th Homwcoming football game a few weeks ago and he said that was wonderful!

Please keep my old pal, Rich Maes, in your thoughts and prayers. I promised him to post this. Maybe he will read it and comment.

07/16/2026

My old friend, and yours, still doesn't know how to start a fresh post on this page. All he can do is reply to existing posts. So, Rich, old pal, here you go! The page is yours:

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05/29/2026

Sad news regarding my long-time friend, a man that most of you out there probably know as "Coach Rich". From the info that I received, Rich Maes had two bad events in May.
On the 7th, his handicapped modified van was struck by an F-150 (twice). Rich was shaken up, and seemed ok, but the van needed MAJOR repairs! The van should be all fixed up in 7-10 days (today is May 29.
But, there is more! On May 25, Rich was taken to the hospital with chest pains. He had the full battery of tests, images, nuclear medicine, and more done. They scanned every part of his body for clots, and scanned every major organ. Result: It was not a heart attack or any other organ causing the pain. BUT his heart has VERY serious blockage, to the point that the doctors are surprised that he is still alive. Angioplasty or bi-passes are not viable options! The only thing that would improve his health is a transplant, but his age and numerous medical conditions make him very unlikely to even get on the transplant list.
It looks like my college pal, a guy that I always loved, respected, and admired, is left in the hands of his creator. We don't know how much time Rich has left, probably 2-5 years, maybe more, but a significant illness or "health event" could end it abruptly.

Rich and I shared many moments in our college days, discussing our Christianity (I am Greek Orthodox, Rich is Roman Catholic). He strongly believes in prayer and miracles. Right now, he could use a lot of the former and at least one of the latter.
I am sure there are a lot of people on this page that love Rich. Please, remember him with prayers, if you will.

Thank you

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04/26/2026

When gas is $3.99/gallon, you have to save any way you can. With KwikTrip fuel discounts plus Festival credits we knocked that price down!

11/22/2025

Already looking forward to the 2028 summer Olympics in LA! DIVING will be July 16-28 and SWIMMING July 22-30! No mention of TRACK and FIELD, but maybe they fall under "ATHLETICS". I love the Olympics!

10/09/2025

Charles graduated 8 years before Coach, but Rich considers him a "brother in diving", both veterans of the OLD pool at Ashwaubenon High School.

Charles “Chaz” Philip Slavek, faithful husband and loving father and grandfather, passed away at the age of 74 on October 4, 2025. Charlie was...

05/17/2025

Today's senior spotlight is Nevaeh Clayton! Congratulations, Nevaeh!

03/19/2025

[Don't miss the "clip" at the very end of this post!]

To all our loyal followers, thank you. Rich and I agreed that I have posted plenty (maybe too many) photos of him diving, in the 70s.

He knows I was a huge fan and if it weren't for him, I would not have learned so much about diving and fallen in love with the sport. In his freshman year, he went unbeaten on his home boards! He had a few defeats on the road, but was always competitive in the NCAA meets. In his club meets and AAU meets he went against the best in the world, including his idol, Greg Louganis. He would always place, but not as well as he did in the NCAA.

I would often catch the end of his daily pm practice before we woud go to the GYM, weight room, running or any combination. We had a group of about 5 guys with varied backgrounds so we pushed each other to be better in anything we did.

I don't think I will post any more, but I have one clip from a Facebook post of Rich's 12 years ago, that I shared with friends for some laughs. This is just a small clip, but it is a "snapshot" of Rich in his 50s.

". . . we are watching splash, people from 4'2" to 7'2" and from 117 lbs to 417 lbs, competitive diving. My favorite diver of all time is the coach this year, Greg Louganis. Just waiting for Louis Anderson to dive from the 7m (commercial break). . ."

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