Youth Swim Coach Sentenced To Prison For Sexually Abusing Girl

A youth swim coach has been sentenced to prison for sexually abusing a girl over a four-year period in the 1980s.

Richard J. Curl was once a prominent coach with USA Swimming and known as one of the nation’s top swim coaches. He built up a well-known swimming club in the Washington area and coached many prominent swimmers, including Olympic champion Tom Dolan.

But the 63-year-old coach saw his world crash down after pleading guilty last year to abusing the girl, who was 13 at the time the abuse started. Curl was banned for life from USA Swimming and apologized for abusing the girl.

“Every day of my life has been spent thinking and feeling awful about my behavior,” he told the girl before a courtroom packed with her supporters.

Though victims of sexual abuse are typically not named, the victim in this case, Kelley Davies Currin, has made her case public. She has called for an investigation into USA Swimming, saying the “predator coach” was protected even though many people knew of her abuse.

Curl was accused of manipulating Currin, telling her he loved her and they would eventually marry. Currin said the abuse led to a downward spiral of alcohol abuse and an eating disorder.

“I loved, trusted and cherished him as much as a young girl’s heart and mind could,” she said.

Eventually her family learned about the abuse and confronted Curl, but accepted a financial settlement to keep the allegations private. Currin would later say she regretted the decision.

The swim coach was sentenced to seven years in prison. He could have faced up to 15 years, but his defense argued that he had reformed.

In a statement released last year, when Richard Curl surrendered to police, the coach’s lawyers said he was a “good man.”

“Rick Curl is a good man. He is a devoted father and husband. Over the last 30 years, he has successfully coached hundreds of young men and women, many of whom have achieved successful collegiate and professional swimming careers. When the allegations were made public, many of the swimmers and their families reached out to us to offer their support and to reiterate that Rick was an excellent coach, a good person, and a man that provided them and their children with strong moral leadership. We look forward to having Mr. Curl’s positions made clear in the coming weeks.”

The swim coach was actually sentenced to 15 years, but Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Marielsa Bernard suspended all but seven years.