Skip Kenney

Last updated
Skip Kenney
Skip Kenney 1988.jpg
Skip Kenney c. 1988
Biographical details
Born(1943-02-24)February 24, 1943
Fresno, California
DiedNovember 28, 2022(2022-11-28) (aged 79)
Fresno, California
Alma mater Long Beach State
1972 Graduate
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1968-1971 Long Beach State
Phillips 66, Asst. Coach
1971-1972 Harvard University, Asst.
1972-1979AAU Coaching:
Houston Dad's Club
Cincinnati Marlins
1979-2012 Stanford University
Head coaching record
Overall243-40 .83 percentage
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
7 NCAA Championships
1984-1987, 1991-1994, 1997-98
31 straight Pac-10/12 championships
(Stanford)
1984, 1988, 1996 Summer Olympics
1994 World Aquatics Championships [1]
Awards
CSCAA Coach of the Year
(1982, 1985–1987, 1992, 1998) [1]
PAC 10 Coach of the Year
Stanford Hall of Fame
Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame
International Swimming Hall of Fame
ASCA Hall of Fame

Allen "Skip" Kenney was an American Olympic and college swimming coach who served as Head Coach of the men's swimming team at Stanford University from 1979 to 2012. In his 33-year dynasty, he coached his teams to 7 NCAA championships and to a remarkable 31 consecutive Pac-10 Conference titles.

Contents

Early education

Kenney was born in Fresno, California, on February 24, 1943, the son of Bruce and Jayne Kenney. He played basketball and football for Fresno High School, and though never on the swim team, he did dive competitively. After High School graduation in 1960 and service in the Marines, he spent two years at Fresno City College, completing his education at Long Beach State, where he graduated in 1972. [2] [3]

Marine service

Kenney served in the United States Marine Corps, receiving a purple heart, and was in combat in Vietnam for 13 months in 1965 to 1966; four months of which were spent as a sniper. He said that he drew on his service in the Marine Corps in his coaching. "Whether you are racing or in combat, for you to be at your best, your mind takes over and your body follows. Your expectations rise." [4] [2]

Early coaching

While attending classes there, he served as an Assistant Coach for the Long Beach College 49ers from 1968–71, while simultaneously coaching Long Beach's Phillips 66 Swim Club. Susan Pedersen was an American gold medalist Kenney coached while at Phillips 66. [5] At both venues, he worked under the mentorship of the gifted Olympic and Collegiate coach Don Gambril who would later coach in several Olympics and at the University of Alabama.

Kenney then served as Asst. Coach at Harvard from 1971–72, when Gambril moved there as Head Coach. Kenney spent 1972-1979 coaching several AAU teams, including working as Head Coach of the Houston Dad's Club Swim Team in Houston, Texas, founded in 1948 and still active, and then the Cincinnati Marlins, an exceptional program that has placed 18 swimmers on Olympic teams since 1968. At the Houston Dad's Club, he coached 1976 Montreal Olympian Renee Magee. While at the Marlins, he mentored 1976 Montreal Olympian Charles Keating III and the 1980 Olympians Glenn Mills, Bill Barret and Kim Carlisle, who were unable to attend due to the American boycott. [6] [2] [7] [8] [9]

Stanford coaching

Kenney was unusual in that he never swam competitively, but was mentored by some exceptional head coaches in his early career, and went to numerous clinics and talks to learn his craft. In his first year at Stanford in 1979, the team went only 3-6 in the regular season, ending the year sixth in the Pac-10. Kenney would not have another losing season, and during his 33-year coaching tenure, Stanford swimmers would win 31 consecutive Pac-10/Pac-12 championships and win the NCAA national title from 1984-1987 and 1991-1994, with his last national title in the 1997-1998 season. [6]

International coaching

Kenney also coached on the international circuit. He was appointed the men's coach for the U.S. team at the 2004 Short Course World Championships. He served as head coach of the United States Men's Swimming Team at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and assistant coach at both the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympic Games. [6] [9]

Honors

Kenney was inducted into the Stanford Hall of Fame, the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame, the International Swimming Hall of Fame, and the ASCA Hall of Fame. He was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year 20 times and College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Coach of the Year 6 times. His teams included: 134 All-Americans, 72 NCAA champions, and 23 Olympic athletes. During his tenure, his student-athletes had a 100% graduation rate. [10] [6]

On March 9, 2007, Kenney was suspended indefinitely, with pay, by Stanford after admitting to removing entries for records set by five swimmers (Jason Plummer, Michael McLean, Tobias Oriwol, Rick Eddy, Peter Carothers) that he had disagreements with from the Stanford swimming team's media guide. The team was coached, on an interim basis, by associate head coach Ted Knapp. [11] On April 20, 2007, Stanford announced that Kenney would serve a 60-day suspension without pay and then return to his position as head coach. Kenney issued an apology to the Stanford community. [12]

Kenney retired from coaching at Stanford in 2012, at the age of around 69, enjoying an active retirement with his wife Betty. He died from complications from Alzheimer's on November 28, 2022, in Fresno, California. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Gambril</span> American swimming coach

Donald Lee Gambril is an American former Hall of Fame swimming coach who is best known for coaching the University of Alabama from 1973 to 1990. His Alabama teams had top ten NCAA finishes eleven times, 3 Southeastern Conference titles, and were the runner-up at the NCAA Championship in 1977. Earlier, his Long Beach State teams had top ten NCAA finishes four times from 1968-71. He had the rare distinction of serving as a U.S. Olympic coach in five Olympics from 1968 to 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Quick</span> American swimming coach

Richard Walter Quick was a Hall of Fame head coach for the women's swim teams at the University of Texas from 1982 through 1988 and at Stanford University, from 1988 through 2005. In an unprecedented achievement, Quick's Women's teams at Texas and Stanford won a combined 12 NCAA National championships, with his Men and Women's team at Auburn winning his final championship in 2009. His teams won a combined 22 Conference championships. He was a coach for the United States Olympic swimming team for six Olympics—1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Montgomery (swimmer)</span> American swimmer

James Paul Montgomery is an American former competition swimmer, four-time Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder. Montgomery was the first man to break the 50-second barrier (49.99) in the 100-meter freestyle, at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, where he won three gold medals and one bronze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon Stouder</span> American swimmer (1948–2013)

Sharon Marie Stouder, also known by her married name Sharon Stouder Clark, was an American competition swimmer, three-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in four events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Mann</span>

Matthew "Matt" Mann II was a British-born competitive swimmer and Hall of Fame American swimming coach born in Leeds, known for coaching the University of Michigan from 1925 to 1954, where he led his swimmers to 13 NCAA team titles. Considered one of the winningest coaches in American history, he served as the Head Coach of the U.S. men's swim team in the 1952 Summer Olympics that won four gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze medal.

Peter J. Cutino was an American swimming and water polo coach and educator for over 40 years and the author of several books and numerous articles on coaching aquatic sports. In his 26 years as head coach at the University of California, Berkeley, his Cal teams won eight NCAA titles. He was the all-time winning coach in U.S. water polo history. His efforts for water sports training, development of facilities for competition and philanthropic support of athletes earned him national recognition. In 1999, the Peter J. Cutino Award was established in his honor by the San Francisco Olympic Club, and is presented annually to the top American male and female collegiate water polo players.

John "Jonty" Alexander Skinner is a former Hall of Fame South African competition swimmer and world record-holder, who for over forty years served as an American club and college swimming coach primarily at his alma mater, the University of Alabama before retiring as a coach in 2020. He coached the US national team in the mid-1990s, remaining as a Director of Team Performance through 2008.

Norton Thornton was the head coach of the California Golden Bears men's swimming and diving team at the University of California, Berkeley from 1974 until his retirement in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Haines</span>

George Frederick Haines was a competitive swimmer and coach who for twenty-three years coached the highly successful Santa Clara Swim Club which he founded in 1951. He later coached UCLA, Stanford University, and six U.S. Olympic swim teams. In 1977, he was inducted as an Honor Coach into the International Swimming Hall of Fame who later voted him "Coach of the Century" in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Vogel (swimmer)</span> American swimmer

Matthew Haynes Vogel is a swim coach of over forty years, an American former competition swimmer for the University of Tennessee, a 1976 Olympic gold medalist in the butterfly and medley relay, and a former world record-holder in the 4x100-meter medley relay event.

Lisa Rae Jacob is an American former competition swimmer who won two gold medals at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patty Caretto</span> American swimmer

Patricia Sarena Caretto, also known by her married name Patricia Brown, is an American former competition swimmer, 1968 Olympic competitor, and 1964 world record-holder in two distance freestyle events. She is a former world record holder in the women's 800-meter and 1,500-meter freestyle, having set world records in those events on eight occasions.

Frank Busch was a collegiate, national team and Olympic swimming coach from the United States best known for coaching the University of Arizona from 1989-2011. He was a coach for the USA Olympic teams in 2004 and 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Hartloff</span> American swimmer

Paul Michael Hartloff is an American former competition swimmer who represented the United States at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec. Hartloff competed in the men's 1,500-meter freestyle event, but in a highly competitive year finished seventh in the final. After qualifying for the 1976 Olympics at the Olympic Trials in Long Beach, California, he set an Olympic record on July 19, 1976, in a qualifying heat for the 1,500-meter event at the 1976 Montreal Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, with a time of 15:20.74, but in a highly competitive year, his time was a full 14 seconds slower than American Olympic team mate Brian Goodell's recent standing world record of 15:06.66.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renee Magee</span> American swimmer

Holly Renee Magee, also known by her married name Renee Tucker, was an American former competition swimmer who represented the United States in the 100 meter backstroke at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec. In 1976, in Austin, Texas, she set a National High School Record in the 100-yard backstroke. She would later work as a District Attorney and be elected to serve as a Judge in Houston's 337th District Court from 2013-16.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Ballatore</span> American swimming coach

Ron "Stix" Ballatore was an American college and international swimming coach. From 1978 to 1994, Ballatore was the head coach of the men's swimming and diving team at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he coached his UCLA Bruins swimmers to an NCAA national championship in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Meehan</span> American swimming coach

Greg Meehan is an American Olympic and College swimming coach, who has served as the women's head coach for the Stanford swim team since 2012, winning NCAA conference championships in 2017 and 2018. He was an Olympic Coach for the US Women's Olympic Swimming Team in 2016 and 2020.

Dennis Pursley was a competitive swimmer and is a retired American swimming coach who served as head coach of the combined men's and women's teams at the University of Alabama from 2012 to 2019 and was a five time Olympic coach. Several athletes Pursley coached have set world records, national records, and won medals in the Olympics and international competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burt Kanner</span> American former swimmer, swimming coach, announcer and author

Burt Kanner is an American former swimmer, math teacher, swimming coach, public address announcer, and author. He is best known for coaching the San Marino High School Swim Team for eighteen years from 1970-1982, and 1985-1991 where he led the team to 8 California State Championships and 12 League Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Jochums</span> American swimmer and swim coach

Dick Jochums was an American competitive swimmer for the University of Washington and a collegiate and club Hall of Fame swimming coach, who served as the head coach for the University of Arizona swim team from 1978 to 1988. He was Head Coach of the renowned Santa Clara Swim Club from 1995 to 2007, where he led the team to three national championships from 1996 to 1998.

References

  1. 1 2 "Skip Kenney – Profile". Stanford Swimming & Diving. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Obituaries; Allan "Skip" Kenney", The Fresno Bee, Fresno, California, pg. A4, 3 December 2022
  3. ↑ "Milich Led Clovis Club", The Fresno Bee, Fresno, California, pg. D4, 13 July 2004
  4. ↑ Anderson, Kelli (January–February 2007). "Master Stroke". Stanford Magazine. Retrieved 22 March 2009. The last time a swim team other than Skip Kenney's won the Pac-10 title, Ronald Reagan was in his first term. This is how it looks inside a dynasty.
  5. ↑ "National Records Fall to SP Girl", News-Pilot, San Pedro, California, pg. 16, 6 May 1971
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Chen, George, Swimming; The Legacy of Skip Kenney, May 24, 2012". standforddaily.com. Stanford Daily.
  7. ↑ "Dad's Club Aquatics". dadsclubaquatics.com. Dad's Club.
  8. ↑ "CincinnatiMarlins". CincinnaiMarlins.
  9. 1 2 "Skip Kenney, International Swimming Hall of Fame". International Swimming Hall of Fame.
  10. ↑ "Skip Kenney". ISHOF.org. International Swimming Hall of Fame.
  11. ↑ FitzGerald, Tom (March 10, 2007). "Stanford swim coach pulled from job; Kenney suspended for erasing records of 5 of his athletes". San Francisco Chronicle .
  12. ↑ "Stanford swim coach Skip Kenney suspended; coach issues apology" (Press release). Stanford University. April 20, 2007. Retrieved March 22, 2009.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.