Poolesville High School has installed a dedication plaque honoring longtime teacher, coach and athletic director Fred Swick, whose name now appears on the school’s new gymnasium.
The Fred Swick Gymnasium was dedicated during the past basketball season, with the plaque installed this past week, according to Poolesville athletic director Regina Grubb.
Swick, a 1969 graduate of Richard Montgomery High School, played college basketball at Montgomery College and Frostburg State University before using his experience to impact generations of Poolesville students.
During his career at Poolesville, Swick served as a teacher, athletic director and coach. He directly supported baseball, football and cross country, as well as both the boys and girls basketball programs.
According to the plaque, Swick is Poolesville’s all-time winningest coach for boys and girls basketball. He was inducted into the Poolesville High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012 and was named Montgomery County Coach of the Year for both boys and girls basketball.
His teams competed in 18 regional championships, winning five, and also captured seven county and divisional championships. In 2018, Swick led the Poolesville girls basketball team to an undefeated season and the Maryland 2A state championship.
Swick also contributed to the broader community as director of the Rising Star and Falcon basketball camps. “To say I was overwhelmed and surprised is an understatement,” Grubb wrote while sharing a photo of the newly installed plaque. “It is absolutely amazing. I love being able to see this each and everyday as I walk into my job.”
