After 35 years leading Tennessee’s diving program, Dave Parrington has announced his retirement. The most decorated diving coach in SEC history and the longest-tenured coach in Knoxville, Matt Kredich, Tennessee’s Director of Swimming and Diving, credited him in the school’s press release with “[helping] to shape and grow the Tennessee Diving program into a world leader in the diving community.”
Parrington helped the Volunteers win nine NCAA diving titles, the most by an SEC program since 1911. He’s also coached athletes to three CSCAA Diver of the Year honors, 47 SEC titles, and 19 SEC Diver of the Year awards. The total SEC titles and Diver of the Year awards are the most in conference history. During his tenure, Tennessee divers won 104 medals at the SEC Championships.
“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,” Kredich continued. “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.”
Parrington has won his share of awards too, including the 2013 CSCAA National Women’s Diving Coach of the Year award after helping the Tennessee women to a program-best third-place finish at that year’s NCAA Championships. He was voted SEC Coach of the Year a combined 16 times, the most in conference history. 12 of those titles came on the men’s side and four on the women’s, as he most recently picked up the honor in 2024 for his work with the men’s program.
“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 in the school’s release. “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!’…and for the last time, I’d love to say…‘winning is living!’”
Parrington’s influence on the diving world extends beyond the collegiate boards. He coached Zimbabwe’s Olympic diving team at the 1996 Atlanta and 2020 Sydney Olympics after representing the nation as an athlete on the boards at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. He served as a judge for the at the 1988 and 2008 U.S. Olympic Diving Trials and Tennessee credits him with playing a major role in the university being selected to host the 2024 U.S. Olympic Diving Trials.
He served as the U.S diving team’s coach for the 1997 World Diving Cup, earning the USA Diving Coaches Award of Excellence. Finally, he was the head coach for the U.S. at the 2014 FINA (now World Aquatics) World Series in London.
Parrington coached at his alma mater, the University of Houston, for seven seasons before arriving on Rocky Top. His retirement is the latest in a long string of retirements from legendary collegiate diving coaches. In the last 12 months, Randy Ableman retired from the University of Miami after 35 seasons and Adam Soldati stepped down after 19 years as Purdue’s head diving coach after his ALS diagnosis.
ALWAYS FAIR to any and all divers!
Please continue as a judge, referee,
and, clinician! DIVING needs you!
Great Coach – good luck coach!