south athletics
OFFICIAL WEBSITE and Home of the Grosse Pointe South Blue Devils
Biography:
John Fodell is in his 5th year as Head Coach of the South High School girls and boys swim teams, after assisting the teams for 10+ years. John is also in his 16th year as Head Coach of the Grosse Pointe Gators. While with GP South and the Gators, John’s swimmers have won numerous High School State titles, MAC Division and Wayne County, and All American titles, as well as USA swimming State, Sectional, NCSA, and Junior National titles, and dozens have continued their swimming careers collegiately at Division I, II, and III colleges and universities. During John's 2nd year as Head Coach of GP South, the Girls team brought home the 2nd Place trophy at the D2 High School State Championship. The boys team captured the 2nd place title at the D2 High School State Championships in the 20-21 season; the first time in over a decade, and 3rd place title in the 21-22 season. John was named the Michigan Swimming 2016 Coach Of The Year and 2018 MISCA Coach of the Year for South Girls.
John has been coaching for 18 years. Through this time, he has served as Head Coach for the Grosse Pointe Shores Sharks in the LFSA League, where he was also the Parks and Recreation Director and the Head Coach at Grosse Pointe Yacht Club in the MICSA league.
John earned his masters degree in adaptive physical education from Western Michigan University in 2007 and completed his degree in Physical Education from Albion College in 2006. As a Grosse Pointe South High School graduate, John was a member of the National Honors Society and was Student Athlete of the Year in 2002. At Albion he earned four varsity letters in swimming and three in tennis. Swimming at Albion John held five school records, served as team captain and was named MVP for 2005-06. John was also a three-time All-MIAA swimmer and honored as a NCAA D-III All-American swimmer in 2006. John has served as a graduate assistant, teaching college recreation classes as well as overseeing the healthy lifestyles program for the developmentally impaired.
Biography:
Greg Wolff has been assisting the Blue Devil Boys' swimming and diving team since 2015. He has been coaching swimming since 1990 at all levels of swimming:
- Collegiate
- West Virginia Wesleyan College (Buckhannon, WV)
- USA Swimming
- Livonia-Novi Spartan Aquatic Club (Novi, MI)
- Curl-Burk Swim Club (Washington, DC)
- Lakers Aquatic Club (St. Clair Shores, MI)*
- Warren Jaguar Aquatic Club (Warren, MI)*
- Utica Shelby Swim Club (Utica, MI)
- Pointe Aquatics (Grosse Pointe, MI)
- Summer League
- Sommerset Swim Club (Bethesda, MD)*
- Woodside Swim Club (Bloomfield, MI)
- St. Clair Shores Sea Serpents (St. Clair Shores, MI)*
- Grosse Pointe Woods Warriors (Grosse Pointe Woods, MI)*
- Scholastic
- Pierce Middle School*
- Parcells Middle School*
- Regina High School*
- Grosse Pointe South High School
* Denotes Head Coach
Mr. Wolff competed in swimming at Plymouth-Salem High School and swam collegiately at Bowling Green State University. He won 2 state championships each in the 800 and 1500 meter freestyle events and qualified for the National Junior Olympics in the 800 freestyle while representing Livonia Spartan Aquatic Club.
Mr. Wolff has been a teacher in the Grosse Pointe Public School System since 1995, holding teaching endorsements in Health Education, Social Studies, Physical Education and Adapted Physical Education. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Sport Management from Bowling Green State University and a Masters in Physical Education--Pedagogy from Wayne State University.
