DUNLAP DOLPHINS SWIM TEAM

Coach Bucher is 53 years old and happily married to wife, Lynn, for 26 years.  The couple has two beautiful children Jeff and Sarah.  Jeff is a student teacher in Chillicothe, IL and Sarah is a junior at Augustana College.

Coach Bucher was a stand-out swimmer himself, qualifying for State all four years while attending Richwoods High School here in Peoria,  His other accolades while in high school include winning two individual events his senior year, named Tri-County athlete of the year and named as a high school All-American.  He was also inducted into the Greater Peoria Area Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the 1972 Richwoods Knights swim team.  When the Richwoods Knights finished second to Hinsdale Central in 1972, they became the southernmost swimming and diving program to win a top-two state trophy.  With a combined 112 state finals in the books through February 2009, the 1972 Knights retain that distinction.

His success in high school earned him a full scholarship to the University of Florida, where he completed two years, then was a member of the Air Force for four years and then completed his degree at the University of West Florida.  He then went on to teach and coach in Panama City, FL for 10 years, before returning to the Peoria area in 1994 to take a position at Manual High School.

In 1998, Coach Bucher established the Dunlap Dolphins as a swimming feeder program for the Dunlap High School, where he presently teaches physical education and is the head coach for both the girls and boys swim teams.  He enjoys working with all ages of athletes, especially those just starting in a sport.  Overall, Coach Bucher has 47 years invested in the sport of swimming, with 26 of those years as a coach.