Twelve NCAA titles, eight NCAA Coach of the Year awards and 12 SEC Coach of the Year honors are a few numbers to describe the coach's success.
Marsh also led the Auburn men's team to become the third most winning team of all time. And even more impressive, he was responsible for restoring the team to its former glory.
"To me, the bigger part of this is that we had to come rebuild this program in 1990," Marsh said. "My passion was to instill the pride that our previous coaches had put in this team in the seventies."
"The thing that is unique about Auburn is that the entire community and region really embrace the team and the program," he continued.
And after leading the Auburn men's and women's teams to the national championships in Minnesota the last two weekends, Marsh will say goodbye to the program he helped rebuild.
But the legendary coach went out in style. Marsh won his 11th NCAA title with the women on March 9 and his 12th NCAA title with the men on March 17 - tying an NCAA record.
He helped the women's team overcome a 32-point deficit on the final day of the tournament and surpass Arizona for their second consecutive title and fifth in six years. The Tigers won the meet by 58 points.
The men's team won its fifth straight national championship and completed the meet with 566 points. The closest team to them was Stanford with just 397.
The Tigers also set five NCAA records in the 50 free, 200 free relay, 200 medley relay, 100 free and 400 free relay.
"This group here, the way they performed during this meet, was amazing," Marsh said. "It is the best meet that we have ever had top to bottom."
Despite all of this success, the Tigers have had hard times. Earlier this season the squad lost one of its coaches when Ralph Crocker died of cancer in January. But at times like this, Marsh credits his players for pulling the team through the tragedy.
"The captains of our team have pulled us through the hard times," he said. "When our beloved Coach Crocker passed away halfway through the season, it was those guys that were standing up during team meetings and keeping things stable."
Stable enough to send Marsh out on a high note. As for the Auburn Tigers swimming and diving program, Athletic Director Jay Jacobs found the next best thing to replace Marsh.
Former Stanford coach Richard Quick will replace Marsh as head coach. Quick is the only other coach in NCAA history to win 12 national titles. Quick was also an assistant at Auburn from 1979 to 1982 and coached Marsh as a swimmer at the time. And Marsh believes there is no better man for the job.
"When I had thought about leaving last summer and announced it in the early fall, my hope from the very beginning was that Richard would consider coming out of retirement for the Auburn job," he said.
"I knew he loved his experience when he was at Auburn, I knew he would cherish the opportunity to coach men and women, and I knew if he would accept it, he'd be the best guy in the world that we could get."
Kentucky Diver Dedicates Win to Cancer-stricken Coach By Jessica Rouse
Some of Ignacio's most notable accomplishments besides the national championship include winning the platform event in the SEC three years in a row and winning the one meter event twice. She was the SEC diver of the year for the past three years. But Ignacio says behind all of those medals is a kind of gold you don't wear around your neck.
"Mike is not just a coach, he is like a father to me," Ignacio said.
"Mike" is Mike Lyden, SEC diving coach of the year in 2005 and 2006, who has coached the Richmond, Kentucky native since she was 10. When doctors diagnosed Lyden with brain and lung cancer last year, Ignacio said it gave her a new motivation.
"I just kept thinking, do it for Mike. I just wanted to be the best diver I could for him."
And she was. Ignacio was the best platform diver at the NCAA's last season and said she won the event for her coach.
"I was just so glad that after everything Mike had been through, I had been through and the team had been through, I was just glad I could do that for him."
As the diving days of Ignacio come to a close, she will remember what she's learned from Mike Lyden - you don't have to wear a gold medal to be a true champion.