Winning is Living: Dave Parrington Announces Retirement After 35 Successful Years as Tennessee Diving Coach

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Rocky Top's longest-tenured coach, Dave Parrington, announced Thursday the conclusion of his remarkable 35-year career with Tennessee diving, retiring as the most decorated diving coach in SEC history.

"To all the divers over the years, dating back to our first squad who set the tone for what was to come, through all the ups—of which there were many—and downs over the years, I express a monstrous token of gratitude," Parrington said. "On to this final group who, despite some challenges this past season, are awesome and so very much appreciated. I'll miss being on deck with you but will always cherish the friendships and look forward to watching you flourish with the groundwork we worked so hard day in and day out. Just remember to 'Let it Fly!'

"I'd like to take this opportunity to thank legendary athletic directors Doug Dickey and Joan Cronan along with former Vols Head Swim Coach John Trembley and Lady Vols Head Swim Coach Dave Roach for hiring me back in 1990. Over the years, I have seen many changes and worked for numerous outstanding ADs and their staffs, including our outstanding current administration under Danny White's astute leadership. To all of you, I express my gratitude for the support towards our diving teams over the years. I'd also like to thank our current Director of Swimming and Diving, Coach Matt Kredich, for his leadership and our staff for all their support over the years.

"To Tyler Johnson, our sport administrator, a big nod of appreciation to you as well as Dara Worrell who served in that role previously. To our incredible support staff over the years, from the Thornton Center, our remarkable medical teams, Joe Whitney's mental training, Kristen Martin's mental health services, Beth Schwartz in nutrition and Greg Adamson's strength training, you're all the best.

"Lastly, a huge thank you to the most important person in my life, my loving wife Marie, who's been there for me, supporting me through so many moments of success but especially the inevitable tough times in this sometimes-arduous profession.

"And for one last time, I'd love to say… 'WINNING IS LIVING!'"

Parrington leaves with an incredible resume that saw him lead Tennessee divers to a combined nine NCAA titles, three CSCAA Diver of the Year selections, 47 SEC titles and 19 SEC Diver of the Year recipients. He also coached one World Champion and one World Championship bronze medalist, three Olympians, eight USA Diving national champions and two Commonwealth Games gold medalists.

"For the past 35 years, Dave has helped to shape and grow the Tennessee Diving program into a world leader in the diving community," Director of Swimming & Diving Matt Kredich said. "He has also challenged, nurtured and mentored hundreds of individual student-athletes to achieve great success on the boards, in the classroom and in their communities. Dave's passion and expertise have been an inspiration to many, and his impact on the lives of the athletes he's coached is immeasurable. The Tennessee Swimming and Diving community thanks him for his unwavering commitment, and we celebrate a truly exceptional career. We will miss his presence on deck, but his legacy of a positive and caring brand of competitiveness is now deeply ingrained in the DNA of our program."

Here's a full breakdown of Parrington's top accomplishments:

Named the 2013 CSCAA National Women's Diving Coach of the Year after helping the Lady Vols achieve the highest team finish in program history, taking third at the NCAA Championships.
Voted SEC Coach of the Year a combined 16 times, the most in conference history. He was the Men's Diving Coach of the Year 12 times (1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2024) and the Women's Coach of the Year four times (1997, 2003, 2012, 2013).
Coached Colin Zeng (2018 & 2019) and Tori Lamp (2013) to CSCAA National Diver of the Year awards.
Helped guide Lauryn McCalley to the NCAA Woman of the Year award in 2005.
Brought home nine NCAA titles, which were the most by an SEC school since 1991. Seven came on the men's side to pace the league, while the women tallied two to tie for the conference lead.
One of only five men's diving programs in the NCAA to have at least three national champions on 1-meter and 3-meter since 1991.
Saw UT divers tally 30 top-three finishes at the NCAA Championships, including 20 on the men's side and 10 for the women.
Thirty-four different Vols and Lady Vols garnered All-America status thanks to his coaching.
His divers won a combined 19 SEC Diver of the Year awards—the most in SEC history.
- The Vols brought home 14 of the honors, while the next closest program only had six. A total of nine different UT divers garnered the league's top achievement, with five earning it twice.
First-year Vols and Lady Vols earned 11 SEC Freshman of the Year accolades, with the men's eight being the most in SEC history.
Tennessee diver's won 47 SEC Championships during his career—10 more than the next closest school.
- The Vols boasted 31 conference champions, marking the most by any school since 1991.
- The Lady Vols recorded 16 SEC titles, which was the third highest of the league schools.
Earned a staggering 104 medals at the SEC Championships.
- The Vols brought home 76 medals, including 28 on 3-meter, 23 on 1-meter and 15 on platform.
- The Lady Vols won 38 medals, with 15 on platform, 12 on 3-meter and 11 on 1-meter.
Gabi Chereches (1999 & 2000) and Bryden Hattie (2023) both earned the Commissioner's Trophy, which is awarded to the highest point scorers during each SEC Championship.
Since the start of the award in 2015, the Vols received four SEC Diver of the Meet honors, recognizing the top-performing diver at the SEC Championships.

Parrington coached Zimbabwe's Olympic team in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics as well as the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Other Olympic service includes two stints (1988, 2008) as a judge at the U.S. Olympic diving trials and a selector for the USA Olympic team selection camp hosted at the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center. He played a major role in UT and Knoxville getting to host the 2024 U.S. Olympic Diving Trials.

Parrington also served the United States' diving team as a coach for the 1997 World Diving Cup and was rewarded with the USA Diving Coaches Award of Excellence. Parrington was named the head coach of Team USA at the 2014 FINA World Series in London, England, UK.

Before he arrived in Knoxville, Parrington spent seven years as the head diving coach at his alma mater the University of Houston. As an athlete, Parrington competed in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, representing Zimbabwe in both the three-meter and platform events. Parrington also played for Zimbabwe's national water polo team.

University of Tennessee Athletics

Winning is Living: Dave Parrington Announces Retirement After 35 Successful Years as Tennessee Diving Coach

Players Mentioned

Bryden Hattie

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