{"id":599817,"date":"2024-11-20T16:45:50","date_gmt":"2024-11-20T23:45:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=599817"},"modified":"2024-11-20T16:47:11","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T23:47:11","slug":"passages-legendary-diving-coach-ron-obrien-dies-at-86-leaves-unmatched-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/passages-legendary-diving-coach-ron-obrien-dies-at-86-leaves-unmatched-legacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Passages: Legendary Diving Coach Ron O’Brien Dies at 86; Leaves Unmatched Legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Passages: Legendary Diving Coach Ron O’Brien Dies at 86; Leaves Unmatched Legacy<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Meg Marvin<\/p>\n

Dr. Ron O\u2019Brien<\/strong>, a legend in the sport of diving, has died at the age of 86. As a coach, no one can compare to the resume O\u2019Brien created in the sport of diving. He was an eight-time USA Olympic diving coach, seven-time head coach, beginning in 1968 and continuing through every Olympiad until his last in 1996. He was a seven-time USA World Championships head coach, four-time USA Pan American Games head coach and seven-time USA World Cup head coach.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Brien coached numerous Olympians who combined to win five gold, three silver and four bronze medals. He will probably be best remembered for the 1988 Olympic Games, when he coached Greg Louganis to his second double gold medal performance in the 3-meter springboard and 10-meter platform events, making Louganis the only man to accomplish back-to-back double gold medals in Olympic diving history. All totaled in major competitions, O\u2019Brien divers won 196 gold, 113\u00a0\u00a0silver and 106 bronze medals.<\/p>\n

His coaching career began after a brief stint at Minnesota, when O\u2019Brien was named the head diving coach at his alma mater, the Ohio State University, where he coached from 1963-1978.\u00a0 He eventually moved to Southern California in 1978, where he became head coach of the Mission Viejo Nadadores. It was in Mission Viejo that O\u2019Brien won an astounding 38 team titles. In 1984, the United States swept all four gold medals at the World Championships, the only time this has ever been accomplished and the first time any country has swept a major international world class event since 1952.\u00a0 The divers were all coached by O\u2019Brien.<\/p>\n

In 1985, O\u2019Brien headed to South Florida to coach at a brand new facility called Mission Bay in Boca Raton, where he stayed until 1990. He hit the ground running. The next year in 1986, all 12 United States Diving individual national titles were won by Ron O\u2019Brien divers.\u00a0 O\u2019Brien won 16 team titles while at Mission Bay and was soon inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) as an Honor Coach in 1988.<\/p>\n

In 1990, The City of Fort Lauderdale, home to ISHOF, hired O\u2019Brien as the Director of Diving and Head Diving Coach at the Hall of Fame Aquatic Complex.\u00a0 There, O\u2019Brien won 20 team titles, and a majority of his athletes competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games, with O\u2019Brien serving as head coach. Pat Jeffrey, Karen LaFace, Kent Ferguson, Scott Donie, Jenny Keim, Mary Ellen Clark,\u00a0and\u00a0David Pichler\u00a0were all members of the Fort Lauderdale Diving Team.<\/p>\n

In addition to coaching Olympians in Fort Lauderdale, O\u2019Brien served as the National Technical Director for USA Diving from 1991-2004.<\/p>\n

After the 1996 Olympic Games, O\u2019Brien retired from actively coaching on deck.\u00a0 In 1996, he was named Diving Special Events Coordinator at the Hall of Fame Aquatics Complex for the City of Fort Lauderdale, where he remained until 2008.\u00a0 He was named High Performance Director for USA Diving in 2004, where he served for the next four years.\u00a0 Once retired, he created and operated \u201cDivers to College,\u201d an online college recruiting website, exclusively for divers and diving. He was always looking to help the \u201cdiver.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Brien produced a United States national champion in 25 of his 30 years as a coach and had a national champion for 24 consecutive years, from 1973 through his last year in 1996. Awards started almost immediately in his career. In 1974, O\u2019Brien was presented the Mike Malone Award, given for outstanding contributions to United States Diving. In 1976, O\u2019Brien was given the Fred Cady Award for coaching an Olympic champion and the James A. Rhodes Award for participation in the 1976 Olympic Games.<\/p>\n

He was awarded the Mike Peppe Memorial Award an unprecedented 14 times, first in 1979, and the last time was his final year of coaching, in 1996. \u00a0In 1993, he was given the WHOSAM Award, which is given for commitment to excellence and dedication in the sport of diving.\u00a0 In 1996, he won the United States Olympic Committee\u2019s Diving Coach of the Year, as well as the Phil Boggs Award, given for outstanding contributions to United States Diving.<\/p>\n

In addition to ISHOF in 1988, O\u2019Brien was inducted into The Ohio State University Hall of Fame in 1984; he was a 1996 Inductee into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame; in 2004, he was inducted into the Broward County Sports Hall of Fame.\u00a0 Most recently, O\u2019Brien was inducted as part of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame Class of 2019 as an Honor Coach, one of only six coaches to ever be inducted.<\/p>\n

On May 23, 2015, the city of Fort Lauderdale inducted Dr. Ron O\u2019Brien with a star embedded on Fort Lauderdale Beach on the City\u2019s Walk of Fame as part of its sixth annual Great American Beach Party celebration.\u00a0 The City followed up on January 7, 2020 by proclaiming it Ron O\u2019Brien Day in the City of Fort Lauderdale.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Brien was born in Pittsburgh, PA, on March 14, 1938.\u00a0 He became interested in diving and gymnastics at the Pittsburgh YMCA, where he began his athletic career.\u00a0 He went on to attend college at the Ohio State University, earning six varsity letters in both diving and gymnastics.\u00a0 He became the NCAA champion on the 1-meter board in 1959, and was an NCAA All-American on both the 1- and 3-meter in 1957, 1958, 1959, and the AAU National Champion on the 3-meter in 1961.\u00a0 In 1960, at the U.S. Diving Olympic Trials, O\u2019Brien placed third, missing making the Olympic Team by one place.\u00a0 Not making the team sent him into coaching and created a coaching legend who may never be replicated. On May 20, 2010, Ohio State University named their diving well, the Ron O\u2019Brien Dive Well, in his honor.<\/p>\n

Dr. Ron O\u2019Brien leaves behind his wife of over 60 years, Mary Jane, daughter Anne, son Tim, four grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n

“I am grateful for the unconditional love he showed me,” said Louganis. “I was an instrument of his creation. He told me, ‘Greg, they will forget you and what you did, but they will always remember your records.’ He is the only reason they exist. Thank you Ron, for your love.”<\/p>\n

Other tributes are below…<\/p>\n

\u201cRon was the gentleman\u2019s coach.\u00a0 A class act, humble and quiet.\u00a0 But boy did he know just what to say at the right moment.\u00a0 He coached and helped so many top divers and other coaches in the sport of diving.\u00a0 He was beloved around the world and will be greatly missed.\u201d — Michelle Mitchell,\u00a01984, 1988 Olympic Silver medalist.<\/p>\n

\u201cRon was a legendary Coach, but an even better person and friend.\u00a0 We will all miss him dearly.\u201d –Steve McFarland, former President USA Diving, World Aquatics Technical Diving Committee<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know Ron that well, as I was a Michigander and Ronnie was from Ohio State, but I absolutely admired the way he worked with his divers and the person he was.\u201d –Bobby Webster,\u00a0two-time Olympic gold medalist, 1960, 1964, 10-meter platform<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be coached by Ron was such an honor. He was a class act coaching his athletes to their potential while teaching life skills through mentorship. He helped the world of diving step into excellence with grace and humbleness. Ron was motivated by coaching the entire person so we could learn the life lessons through sport to then help the next generation by paying it forward. Ron was a leader through action, a man with a plan and my dear friend in life.\u00a0 I am forever blessed for Ron changing my life. Heaven is so lucky to have such a gentleman in Ron O\u2019Brien, a star in life and now, among the stars.\u201d –Mary Ellen Clark,\u00a01992, 1996, Olympic Bronze medalist<\/p>\n

\u201cRon O\u2019Brien was the most professional diving coach I have ever known and that\u2019s saying something. He added stature to be a diving coach;\u00a0 just the way he presented himself at diving competitions.\u00a0 He was a benefactor to the sportand he will be sorely missed.\u201d\u00a0 –Tom Gompf, lifelong friend, former President USA Diving, FINA Technical Diving Chairman<\/p>\n

\u201cRon O\u2019Brien was one of my oldest and dearest friends in the diving community.\u00a0 When I started diving at Ohio State, I lived in same rooming house as Ron.\u00a0 I was coached by Ron, along with Don Harper, and I attribute any success that I had in the sport to him and will continue to miss him.\u201d\u00a0 –Lou Vittuci, lifelong friend and 1964 Olympian, 10-meter platform<\/p>\n

\u201cRon O\u2019Brien was the ultimate coach for every diver.\u00a0 He dealt with all the fears young athletes had in a way that put them at ease and allowed them to build self-esteem\/confidence where they were lacking.\u00a0 Truth be told, he was a genius when it came to reading people.\u201d\u00a0 –Cynthia Potter, 4-time Olympian, Olympic Diving Commentator<\/p>\n

Ron\u2019s achievements \u00a0as a coach spanned four decades and included Olympic success by some of the most accomplished divers to ever compete in the sport. But most importantly, he was a devoted husband and father, who was humble, kind, and generous throughout his life. Ron truly was an icon of the sport of diving and will be missed profoundly by all in aquatics worldwide.\u201d –Dale Neuburger,\u00a0World Aquatics Treasurer<\/p>\n

\u201cRon was everything. Kind, generous, smart. An unmatched eye for detail. But his greatest quality was how much he cared about each and every one of us. And that level of caring leads to magic.\u201d –Scott Donie, 1992 Olympic Silver Medalist, 10-meter Platform<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Passages: Legendary Diving Coach Ron O’Brien Dies at 86; Leaves Unmatched Legacy By Meg Marvin Dr. Ron O\u2019Brien, a legend in the sport of diving, has died at the age<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7533,"featured_media":395139,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,122077,13],"tags":[44757],"class_list":["post-599817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-americas","category-diving","tag-ron-obrien"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nPassages: Legendary Diving Coach Ron O'Brien Dies at 86<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ron O'Brien, a legendary diving coach, passed away at the age of 86. 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