Since taking over CSU's Head Diving Coach position in 2003, Rich Karban has had tremendous amounts of success. He is not only viewed as one of the top coaches in Cleveland State's history, but also the entire Horizon League because of that success. Karban has earned the Horizon League Diving Coach of the Year honors in five of the last eight seasons.

Last year, for the seventh time in the last eight seasons under Karban, a Viking earned league Diver of the Meet honors when Kacey Cummings claimed the title. Josh Gonzalez was recognized in 2010; Dan Baiko took the top honor in both the one- and three-meter events in 2008; Chris Dalman won both the one- and three-meter titles in 2007 and the one-meter in 2006; Thatcher Carr won the three-meter in 2006, as well as both the one- and three-meter titles in 2005; and Chris Jones claimed the one-meter title and finished second in the three-meter in 2004. Dalman was also coached to an 18th place finish in the one-meter diving event and 20th place finish in the three-meter diving event at the 2007 NCAA Championships while under Karban.

During the early 1980's, Karban had a very successful diving career at Cleveland State. In 2000, he became just the second diver, and the fourth member of the swimming and diving team, to be voted into the Cleveland State Athletics Hall of Fame.

Karban also became the first CSU diver and just the second swimming and diving team member to win an Eastern Intercollegiate Championship, claiming the three-meter title in 1984. During each of his four seasons on the team, he also helped the Vikings to a team title at the Penn-Ohio Championships. His career culminated in 1984 after being named the team's most outstanding athlete and qualifying for zones.

Karban spent three years with CSU from 1984-1987 before leaving to work with Olympic diving coach Ron O'Brien. He spent the first two seasons as an assistant and was the head diving coach for the Vikings for the 1986-87 season. Karban then coached the diving team at Eastern Michigan from 1989-94, earning the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year honor in 1992. He also coached his U.S. Diving Junior Olympic Club to a fifth-place finish at the national championships in 1990.

Karban and his wife, Betsy, were married in 1988 and have two children, Rich and Elyssa.