ANN ARBOR, Michigan, October 15. UNIVERSITY Of Michigan head swimming and diving coach Mike Bottom announced on Wednesday (Oct. 15) that former head diving coach Dick Kimball is returning to the staff as a volunteer assistant. Kimball will work alongside first-year diving coach Mike Hilde.
A national figure for the sport of diving, Kimball served a 43-year term as head diving coach at Michigan, holding the post from 1960-2002, while adding eight more seasons (2003-10) as the team’s volunteer assistant. During his time as head diving coach, Kimball helped the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams win five NCAA championships and 33 Big Ten championships. In 1984, he was named NCAA Diving Coach of the Year for both the men and women, while earning the same honor in 1988 (for women only). At the Big Ten level, Kimball was a four-time Big Ten Diving Coach of the Year.
Kimball also boasts several decades worth of experience at the international level, mentoring nine Olympic medal winners, including gold medalists Bob Webster (1960, 1964 — Platform), Micki King (1972 — Three-Meter), Phil Boggs (1976 — Three-Meter) and Mark Lenzi (1992 — Three-Meter). He was an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic Team at five Olympic Games (1964, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992), while coaching international divers at the 1968 and 1996 Olympic Games.
Kimball was a three-time NCAA champion at Michigan, helping the Wolverines win three consecutive national team championships, while winning individual titles on one-meter and three-meter in 1957. In 1985, he was inducted into both the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the University of Michigan Hall of Honor.
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