Get To Know California University Of Pennsylvania's Ed Denny

by Josh Huger (MrUtopia)

This interview is with California University of Pennsylvania’s Ed Denny. Coach Denny, who is currently in his ninth season as the head coach of the Vulcan swimming program, has had a very successful coaching career thus far.

During his career Coach Denny has coached a National champion, numerous NCAA All-Americans, NCAA qualifiers, and NAIA All-Americans.

In addition to all of the success that Denny’s swimmers find in the water his teams are consistently excelling in the classroom. The Vulcan’s have been honored as a Scholar All-American team for eight years in a row by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America.

In this SwimUtopia interview Coach Denny tells us about what he expects from Cal the rest of this season and what he does to motivate his swimmers.

Let’s get started!

What team do you currently coach for?
California University of PA

What made you choose to take the coaching position?
CALU was starting a brand new women’s only swim team and the opportunity to be part of a new program was simply too interesting/unique to pass up. Plus it was the opportunity of a lifetime to coach in the PSAC.

What do you expect from Cal the rest of this season?
The coaching staff expects that each team member continues to focus on improving all the little technique things that will allow them to be as successful as possible. We also expect them to do the absolute best they can each time they race and  each individual team member must answer “was that the best I could do at this meet, in this race, etc” honestly to themselves. Sometimes their absolute best is great and sometimes it’s not but as long as the effort was the best they could do, then we can never say it’s not good enough.

What other teams or schools did you coach at before coming to California University of Pennsylvania?
Head Coach - Fairmont State University 1992-2001
Asst Coach – United States Military Academy at West Point 1989-1992
Head Coach – Kiski School 1988-1989
Asst Coach – United States Naval Academy 1984-1988

What would you say your biggest accomplishment has been in coaching?
In 1995 Fairmont State University was in its final year in the NAIA and Jason Gallaher, currently head swim coach at Sweet Briar College, was the NAIA National Champion in the 200 Fly.

Is there any particular moment that stands out in your mind from coaching?
The first time I was named Coach of the Year at Fairmont State and was proud to present the actual plaque to John Highlands, my assistant at the time, on the pool deck in Wooster, OH in front of the team because he is such a great coach.

What motivates you as a coach?
Knowing that in some small way I’ve helped an athlete do something he/she has never done before and seeing the excitement on his/her face.

What do you do to motivate your swimmers?
I really try and keep the pressure feelings as low as possible at competitions and at practices I try to make workouts as challenging as can be.

Do you have any personal routines before the start of a swim meet?
I make sure I go to the bathroom.

What caused you to go into coaching?
I had great coaches during my career, John Pidgeon in high school, Greg Olson in Charleston, WV for three summers during college, Kevin Gilson at WVU, and Dick Shoulberg at Germantown Academy the summer prior to my senior year at WVU. All four taught me so many different things and were such great role models that I decided that I wanted to be like a combination of all of them.

What are some things that people may not know about you?
I set the 1000 and 1650 Free pool records at WVU 31 years ago and they are still standing. The 1650 time is still the Atlantic 10 record. On one level, that’s pretty amazing and on another, I can’t believe no one has gone faster. The times aren’t THAT fast today.

Please provide any additional information about yourself!
I’ve hit 2000 miles on my bike since late March riding all along the Great Allegheny Passage and the Mon River Trails in preparation for next summer’s trip from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC.