Swafford coached 114 national champions: 47 senior elite, 19 junior elite, 46 Level 10, and 1 Level 9 and 1 Level 8 age group athletes. He was the national team coach for both the World Championships and World Games seven times, and was the first coach the USA to a gold medal team performance.

Swafford coached Karl Heger, who won 18 national and two World titles, set three World records, and competed in 11 World Championships; and world-record holder John Sturdivan.

A native of New York and resident of Lee’s Summit, Mo., Swafford founded the Kansas City Trampoline Club in 1972, and had 10 athletes named to World Championships teams and 33 to the World Age Group Competition. He won the Milton Davis Award as senior elite coach of the year four times.

Swafford served as an FIT international trampoline judge for multiple World Championships and World Games, as well as the head of delegation to the first World Games and the U.S. representative to the FIT Congress.

Swafford earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Central Missouri State University and a Master of Education from the University of Missouri. He was an NCAA swimmer, diver and trampolinist.