By the age of 5 he was in the pool. Bill Weaver simply had followed the lead of his two older brothers. At the time he had no idea, but he was beginning a swim career that would lead him to the top of the competitive ranks, and eventually to the assistant coaching position at Purdue.

Weaver, a Columbus, Ind., native, found success early on in his athletic career, winning state championships at every age level through high school.

Motivation came for Weaver in the quest to reach the next level. "As a developing swimmer, you know there's another level out there that you can't quite reach," he said. "You hope you have what it takes to get there."

Weaver remembers first being hooked on swimming as a teenager. At a regional competition in Cincinnati, Ohio, he tied another swimmer for eighth place. "Because of the tie, we had a swim-off," he said. "In the 100-yard fly, both of us ended up breaking a minute for the first time. That's a feeling that keeps you coming back for more."

Swimming at the collegiate level was a natural progression for Weaver, who left Indiana to swim for Ohio State.

As a Buckeye, Weaver collected three consecutive Big Ten championships, seven honorable mention All-America citations, and one All-America title.

Of all his accomplishments, the one that stands out the most for Weaver is his final conference championship. "To win a third consecutive Big Ten title was a dream for me," he said. "The first came a bit by surprise and the second one was special, but the third was by far the hardest."

As a fifth year senior at Ohio State, Weaver rolled over on his stomach to swim the fly. His decision was met with remarkable success, propelling him to second place in the world rankings, and a spot on the U.S. National Team.

Upon graduation, Weaver reached for the highest level of his sport by training for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. On his way to the Olympics, Weaver claimed silver medals at the 1995 U.S. National Swimming Championships, U.S. Open and World University Games.

Weaver was a finalist at the 1996 Olympic Trials, but ultimately failed to qualify for the team. Believing his career as a competitor was over, Weaver headed to Oregon to pursue a career in environmental sciences, the subject for which he received his degree at Ohio State.

To stay fit Weaver began swimming with a master's swim club called Emerald Aquatics. The club was open to all ages and levels of experience, and Weaver's ability quickly gained him attention. "They saw pretty quickly that I knew what I was doing in the pool," he said. "One of the members approached me and opened an invitation to coach the club."

Weaver coached while continuing his search for full-time employment. Through his work with the swim club, he was introduced to two up-and-coming junior swimmers. "I was fortunate enough to meet two of the top female swimmers in the state," he said.

One of Weaver's new students, Annie Joseph, would go on to compete for the University of Arizona, where she earned Pac-10 honorable mention honors as a senior.

Weaver gained regional and national recognition as his students earned more and more success. "Through my work with them, I was able to entertain offers to coach at a higher level," he said.

Eventually, Weaver moved on to coach the North Coast Aquatics club team in San Diego, California, and then to the University of Pittsburg. The Panthers won three consecutive Big East Titles with Weaver as an assistant.

Following his tenure at Pittsburgh, Weaver was hired as an assistant at Purdue for the 2004-05 season.

Weaver believes his strongest asset is his ability to relate to his athletes. "I'm not that far removed from the sport," he said. "I bring my personal experiences to the table. I can talk about the pressures and daily life of a competitive swimmer."

Even after several years out of the pool, Weaver hasn't lost any of his competitive fire. "I still want to win just as bad," he said. "I don't like getting beat by anyone. I work each day to teach that attitude to our athletes."

Weaver also looks to teach himself through his coaching. "I remind myself each day that I can't do it for these kids," he said. "My job is to motivate them to accomplish things for themselves."

Looking ahead, Weaver hopes to run his own program in the near future. "It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that I'd like to be a head coach someday," he said. "I'd love to coach at a school with a long history of success."

For the time being, he hopes to work diligently at Purdue to be remembered as a motivator and a listener. "Some times as coaches we assume that we have all the answers," he said. "What we don't realize is that these guys are top-end athletes; they've got a lot of the answers within themselves."

In addition to being part of the support system for Purdue swimmers, Weaver hopes to drive them further. "I'd want my guys to say that I didn't let them settle for where they were," he said. "I want them to always expect more."

When Weaver does get his own program, his passion for the sport and competitive zeal should propel it to the highest heights.