Dennis Pursley Named Director of Swimming Operations at Auburn

AUBURN, Alabama, May 8. ACCORDING to an unnamed source close to the situation, recently-appointed Mission Viejo General Manager Dennis Pursley, who began at Mission Viejo on Oct. 1, 2006, will be hired as the Director of Swimming Operations at Auburn University. The hiring will not be official until all of the red tape has been cleared at the institution, but all signs point to Pursley heading to the Plains.

The American Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Famer has been hired to replace the recently-departed Ralph Crocker.

Auburn officials could not comment on the hiring.

After receiving a master's degree as a member of the Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society at the University of Alabama in 1973, Pursley served a one year apprenticeship under Coach Don Gambril while coaching the University Aquatic Club. In 1974, Pursley returned to his home town as the head coach of the Lakeside Swim Club in Louisville, Kentucky. With Pursley at the helm, Lakeside progressed from an unranked status with no regional or national qualifiers to a regional championship title and a top 10 national championship finish. In 1979, he was appointed to the coaching staff of the USA Pan American Games team. One of his swimmers, Mary T. Meagher, surprised the swimming world by establishing her first of several world records in the competition.

From Lakeside Swim Club, Pursley moved on to assume the head coaching responsibilities of the Cincinnati Marlins and led them to their first three national championship titles. After placing six swimmers on the 1980 USA Olympic Team (two of them with world record performances), Coach Pursley served on the USA Olympic Team staff and was awarded 1980 Coach of the Year honors by the American Swimming Coaches Association.

In 1981, Pursley was named as the first head coach of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) where he served as the head coach of the combined team for two years and the men's team until August, 1984. Six of the AIS athletes who had trained under Pursley (4 men and 2 women) accounted for half of Australia's medals in the 1984 Olympic Games. Only one of these athletes was ranked among the top 20 in the world (18th) in 1983. After the 1984 Olympic Games, Pursley began a three year term as head coach of the Olympian Swim Club in Edmonton, Alberta where his team progressed from fifth to first in provincial championship competition.

During the first decade of Pursley's career, his swimmers accounted for seven world records, 12 American Records and 20 U.S. National Championship titles as well as numerous medals in major international competitions – including the Olympic Games and the World Championships.

In 1989, he was appointed as the first National Team Director of USA Swimming and was responsible for all aspects of the National Team program. During his 14 year tenure, the medal production of the USA team increased dramatically. The USA team finished first in the medal count in both men's and women's competitions in all three Olympiads, culminating with 33 medals (14 gold) in the 2000 Olympics which was described as the greatest team performance of all time. In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded the United States Olympic Committee Chairman's Coaching Award for 2000.

Pursley returned to the deck in 2003 as the Head Coach of the Brophy East Swim Team in Phoenix Arizona. Throughout his career, he served as a member of the following committees, boards and organizations: AAU Region VI Coaches Association (Chair), AAU Midwest Conference Coaches Association (President), Canadian Swimming Association Board of Directors, Alberta Coaches Council Executive Committee, Arizona Swimming Board of Directors, USA Swimming Olympic International Operations Committee, International Relations Committee and Senior Swimming Committee.

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