Skip Kenney, who retired last May after 33 years at the helm of the Stanford men’s swimming program, won the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Speedo Lifetime Achievement Award this week.
The award is conferred to “the individual whose efforts exemplify the integrity and ideals of collegiate swimming and who has achieved significant success in the sport while still imparting the educational and character building qualities of the collegiate swimming experience.”
With the Cardinal, Kenney coached 31 consecutive Pac-10/12 championship teams and won seven NCAA team titles, becoming known as one of the top swimming coaches in the country. Kenney, 20-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year and 6-time NCAA Coach of the Year, also coached the US Olympic Team three times over the course of his prestigious career. Despite the fact that he never swam competitively, Kenney is currently in both the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the American Swim Coaches Hall of Fame.
Kenney also served in the Vietnam War as a sniper.
Here is a full account of Kenney’s legacy from last May, in which Daily sports editor George Chen spoke to the acclaimed skipper about his coaching career.