John Trembley is an American former All-American competition swimmer for the University of Tennessee, and swim coach. After a highly successful swimming career with Tennessee under coach Ray Bussard, Trembley coached the University of Tennessee Volunteers for 23 years from 1989-2012, becoming Bussard's able successor.
Trembley was born in Bloomfield, Connecticut and moved to Loudonville, New York around 1964 where he would attend Shaker High School. Both his parents had been avid swimmers. He began swimming competitively around age 8, and by his High School Freshman year at Shaker was already nationally ranked by the AAU. In his Senior year, Trembley became the Nation's Top swimming prospect in America. Competition for Trembley set off a highly contested recruiting war between Indiana's James Counsilman, and Tennesee's legendary coach Ray Bussard. Trembley was an exceptional young sprinter, with a High School 50-yard time of 20.5 seconds, and like his contemporary Mark Spitz, was also exceptional in butterfly sprint events.
Collegiate competition
Trembley swam for the University of Tennessee from 1971-1974, where he received a career 20 All-America honors, more than any Tennessee swimmer in the history of the team.He won five individual NCAA titles between 1973-74, with two in the 50 freestyle, two in the 100 butterfly, and one in 100 freestyle, and swam in four NCAA-winning relays. He won the 50 freestyle and the 100 butterfly in SEC championships between 1971-1973. At the NCAA Championships in March, 1973, Trembley came within a second of Mark Spitz's 100 meter American butterfly record with his time of :48.68.
Early swim coach positions
Prior to coaching at Tennessee, Trembley coached nine years at Mercersburg, Academy in Mercersburg, PA, where he won six National Prep Titles, and six Eastern Prep Titles, as ranked by the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association, or Swimming World Magazine ratings. He obtained an impressive dual meet record at Mercersburg of 95-2.
University of Tennessee Coach
During Trembley's reign as Tennessee Swimming Head Coach from 1989-2012, the team won two Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championships in 1989 and 1996. While serving as an Assistant Coach at Tennessee from 1978-79, the team became the first in the Southeastern Conference to win an NCAA championship. In his last season as coach in 2012, the Tennessee Vol Men Swimmers finished 12th at the NCAA Championships. During Trembley's time at Tennessee, including his four years as a swimmer 1971-1974, and his 23 years as a Coach, the men's program had 19 Olympic swimmers. His overall record at Tennessee included 282 wins and 65 losses, for a winning percentage of .813, second only to his predecessor at Tennessee Ray Bussard. Trembley was released as Coach in January 2012 for what Athletic Director Dave Hart termed "gross misconduct".