Swim Coach Bill Tyler Formally Inducted Into Amherst High School Athletics Hall Of Fame

HADLEY, Mass. - Elms College men and women's swimming head coach Bill Tyler was formally inducted into the inaugural Amherst Regional High School Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday at the Marriott Hotel in Hadley, Mass. 

As a competitive swimmer at Amherst in the 1970s, Coach Tyler won Western Massachusetts individual titles in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, 100-yard butterfly, and was a part of a relay team that won Western Massachusetts state and New England championships. As a high school senior in 1977, he was named the Western Massachusetts Most Valuable Swimmer, and was the New England champion in the 100-yard freestyle (clocked in New England record time) and the 200-yard medley relay. While at Amherst, Coach Tyler also held nine out of 11 individual school records.  

Coach Tyler swam at UMass-Amherst, and was a letter winner for the Minutemen. In 1995, he was ranked in the top 10 nationally as a master swimmer in the 200-meter butterfly and 100-meter freestyle.

During the summer of 2009, Coach Tyler won the 100-meter freestyle at the Bay State Games in the Master 3 division.

Since joining the Elms College staff in 2004, Coach Tyler has become a three-time Great Northeast Conference (GNAC) Coach of the Year (2004-2005, 2006-2007 and 2009-10), and was also named the 2006-2007 New England Intercollegiate Swimming & Diving Association (NEISDA) Coach of the Year. Since his arrival, all but one of the Blazers' current records have been set under his guidance.