William Boomer (April 13, 1937 – January 9, 2022), also known as Buzz Boomer, was an American college coach, best known for serving as the head coach of the University of Rochester's men's swim team from 1962 to 1990. Beginning in the 1990s, as a noted authority on swimming technique, Boomer gave technique instruction to swimmers on the Stanford University swim team and worked one-on-one with many world-class swimmers, including many on three American Olympic swim teams from 1996 to 2004.^[3][2]

Boomer was born the son of George and Grace Boomer in Rochester, New York, in January 1937, where he graduated East High School around 1955.^[1] At East, he received All-Greater Rochester honors as a soccer player, but was not on the swim team. The 6', 2", (188 cm) fullback was also the recipient of All-Scholastic soccer team honors while playing for East, receiving the most votes in 1955 from the local Democrat and Chronicle newspaper, and had been recognized with the honor by the newspaper each year from 1953 to 1955.^[5][3] In 1961, he completed a B.S. from Springfield College in Massachusetts and then received a Masters in Education from the University of Rochester in 1963. He began in the physical education department at Rochester immediately after graduating from Springfield, working there as a graduate student.^[1][2]

As an adolescent, Boomer lost several fingers in a farming accident, and he credited coping with the trauma of that episode as an integral part of shaping many of his life and coaching philosophies.^[1][6]

Boomer had no experience coaching swimming when he started at Rochester. The graduate assistant to the track and field team had in fact never seen a swim meet prior to being offered the job.^[6] In order to better understand his swimmers, Boomer studied how the human body reacted to the water in a pool. From there, Boomer developed swimming techniques similar to those used by aquatic animals that would eventually be adapted by some of the best swimmers in the world. Boomer's techniques emphasize keeping the core body aligned properly to minimize water resistance.^[6]

Early in Boomer's career as the University of Rochester Varsity Swim coach, he coached the 1966–1967 Men's Varsity Swim Team to an undefeated season, 11–0.^[7] This was the first of many other successful swim seasons. Besides working as a coach, while at Rochester he helped design the Speegle-Wilbraham Aquatics Center in 1982, and served as an Associate Dean and Athletic Director during his tenure. Boomer was inducted into the University of Rochester Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.^[3] He and his coaching staff were named the 1998 UAA Coaching Staff of the Year. From his careful study of swimming dynamics, Boomer is credited with originating the top-arm backstroke breakout, a technique for starting backstroke events.^[2]

• Josh Davis,^[6] world record-holder and Olympic gold-medalist
• James A. Pawelczyk,^[10] NASA astronaut
• Jenny Thompson,^[6] world record-holder and Olympic gold-medalist
• Dara Torres,^[6] world record-holder and Olympic gold-medalist
• Amy Van Dyken,^[6] world record-holder and Olympic gold-medalist