The Texas Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association (TISCA) recently honored former Pasadena Independent School District Aquatic Coordinator Dennis Shippey with the Theron Pickle Lifetime Achievement Award for 2007.

Shippey, who was the Pasadena ISD Aquatic Coordinator from 1988-2004 along with being the head swimming coach at J. Frank Dobie High School from 1976-2004, was recognized for his outstanding contributions to interscholastic swimming and overall lifetime achievements to swimming in the state of Texas.

Shippey, who was a high school All American and state champion at Davenport West High School, continued his swimming at the collegiate level competing for Eastern New Mexico University. There he was a NAIA All American swimmer and national collegiate champion, graduating in 1969 with a degree in health and physical education. Upon his graduation, he was drafted in the United States Army, where he served with the 101st Airborne in Vietnam.

Upon his discharge from the military, he returned to college to earn his masters degree at the University of Northern Iowa, where he served as the graduate assistant swimming and diving coach.

From graduate school Dennis, his wife Linda, and family moved to Elkhart, Indiana where he served as head swimming at diving coach at Elkhart Central High School. After two years at Elkhart Central High School, he was recruited to relocate to Pasadena, Texas as the head swimming and diving coach at J. Frank Dobie High School in 1976. Shippey then went on to hold the dual position of swimming coach and aquatic coordinator from 1988 until his retirement in 2004.

During his tenure in Pasadena, Shippey’s teams won numerous city and district champions, with many more achieving finding success at the state and national level.

He has been honored as the UIL District 22-5A Coach of the Year numerous times, along with being inducted into the Iowa High School Hall of Fame as a high school swimmer in 1996.

Shippey, along with his wife Linda (who is currently employed with PISD), were two of the founders of the South Belt Area Swim Team, coaching hundreds of swimmers aged 5-18 for many years along with teaching swimming lessons to thousands of youth over the years.

Shippey stated active in the competitive area of swimming, competing in swimming events for the many years he coached. He continued to compete in masters and senior level swimming events, earning many awards and honors at the state and national level.

He was named as All American swimmer in 2005 by the United States Masters Swimming, being one of the few competitive swimmers to be honored as an All American swimmer at three different levels (high school, collegiate, and masters).

Retirement has not slowed Shippey down as he continues to train and compete in both swimming and cycling. During the school year, he can be found training at Pasadena ISD’s Southmore Natatorium with the swimmers of Pasadena and Sam Rayburn High Schools. He finds training with younger swimmers keeps his skills honed and focused.

During the summer, he continued to train and compete in the pool along with hitting the road on his bicycle. This past summer, Shippey could be found in Iowa with his son Scott, competing in the 444 mile-7 day Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Race Across Iowa.

TISCA has honored 19 individuals with the Theron Pickle Lifetime Achievement Award for their contributions and achievements to Texas scholastic swimming. Shippey is the first Pasadena ISD swimming coach to receive to award in the 38-year history of high school swimming in Texas.

Shippey was presented a ring by TISCA President Toni Schramme at the TISCA Clinic Awards Luncheon in Austin in early September as the recipient of the award.