Phil Hoffmann begins his 12th season as the head diving coach of the Illinois State swimming and diving team with the 2018-19 season.

During the 2017-18 season Hoffmann helped lead one student athlete to place fifth in both the one and three meter diving event and lead yet another student athlete to place seventh in the one meter diving event. Caroline Lecoeur placed fifth in both events and Emily M Aument placed seventh in the one meter diving event.

Hoffmann has been named Missouri Valley Conference Diving Coach of the Year three times, following his divers’ performances at the MVC Championships in 2008-09, 2011-12 and 2012-13, respectively. Hoffmann helped Illinois State diver Wenting Zhang become the program’s first All-American in 2014, and Zhang went on to repeat the feat in 2015. Zhang had previously earned MVC Diver of the Year and All-MVC First-Team honors.

Since his first season at Illinois State, Hoffmann’s divers have had outstanding finishes at the MVC Championships. Between the 1-meter and 3-meter diving competitions, five won the conference title and 32 finished in the top eight. In addition, former ISU diver Polly Hirt was named the Illinois State Linda Herman Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2011.

Hoffmann has also worked with Olympians Abby Johnston and Kelci Bryant, who won silver in the 2012 women's 3-meter synchronized diving competition in London. 

Hoffmann is a 2007 graduate of Ohio State. While there, Hoffmann was an assistant with the U.S. Elite Diving Academy under former Illinois State coach Drew Johansen, where he assisted in coaching countless junior and senior national champions. He has also worked under former Olympic coaches Vince Panzano and Matt Scoggin.

He has served as the head coach of the Redbird Diving Club since the beginning of the 2007-08 season.

Hoffmann is a Bloomington-Normal native and a former Illinois State student assistant coach from 1999 to 2004.