Passages: John Brucato, Long-Time Bellarmine Coach, Age 63
John Brucato, the founding and long-time coach of Bellarmine University, died on June 24. He was 63 years old.
Brucato was the first coach of the men’s and women’s swimming program, serving as the head coach from 2012 to his retirement in 2023 after a diagnosis of ALS in 2021.
He is a member of the school’s Bellarmine Athletics Hall of Fame, the first from the swimming program to join that group when he was inducted this month.
“We were deeply saddened to learn of John’s passing,” Bellarmine athletics director Scott Wiegandt said in a press release. “He was a great Bellarmine Knight, a prince of a man and a beacon for everything that is right in collegiate athletics. He will be sorely missed.”
Brucato was a native of Covington, Kentucky. He arrived at the Division II program after 12 seasons as an assistant head coach at the University of Kentucky, part of a 47-year career. He also led club Wildcat Aquatics for more than 20 years starting in 1990. He is a former Kentucky Swimming Coach of the Year, having worked with Olympic gold medalist Megan Kleine and two-time NCAA champion Elaine Breeden. He attended Northern Kentucky University.
Brucato is survived by his wife of 39 years, Jan; daughter Katie Kelly, a graduate of Bellarmine; grandchildren Olivia and Brooks; and siblings Mike and Tom. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to Bellarmine University Swim Team Scholarship Fund (Bellarmine University, Development Office, 2001 Newburg Rd. Louisville, KY 40205).
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