MIKE LYDEN

1956-2008

Everyone at DiveMeets is deeply saddened by the passing of Mike Lyden. Mike was a friend. Mike was part of a generation where honesty and values matter. Over the years we watched Mike's list of coaching honors grow, just as we watched his family grow. He was a proud father and great coach. To know Mike was a honor. Mike is gone to soon. He is already missed.

"UK diving coach a fighter to the end. Mike died on Friday April 4, after a two-year battle with lung cancer".

By Mark Maloney
MMALONEY@HERALD-LEADER.COM

Mike Lyden was never one to make a big splash, but the ripple effect of his presence will long be felt.

That's the general reaction of the diving community upon learning that Mr. Lyden, 51, died Friday after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Mr. Lyden coached divers at the University of Kentucky since 1993. In addition, he coached various local clubs, as well as American teams in international competitions.

Gary Connelly was the swimming coach who picked Lyden for UK. Connelly said he knew from the time he picked up Mr. Lyden at Blue Grass Airport that he had his coach.

"I could see he was real comfortable in his own skin," Connelly said. "Mike knew how good he was. ... He didn't have to tell me."

Which is to say Mr. Lyden was highly qualified, yet humble. He was passionate about his sport to the end.

Connelly said that Mr. Lyden had a good day Wednesday, talking with well-wishers for eight hours. When he had trouble sleeping that night, Mr. Lyden called some of his divers to offer some tips.

He was diagnosed with lung cancer about 21/2 years ago, with a prognosis of not living out the year. He fought fiercely, Connelly said, living up to his nickname of "Iron Mike."

"His fighting spirit as he battled cancer over the last couple of years embodied who Mike was as a competitor," Connelly said. "He loved competition and challenges, and never backed down when it became tough. I have made a lot of mistakes as a coach, but the best decision I ever made was hiring the best diving coach in the country in Mike Lyden."

Micki King, an Olympic gold medalist in diving, was an assistant athletics director at UK when Mr. Lyden was hired.

When she would congratulate him about a successful result, King recalled Friday, "he said, 'Mick, you're only as good as the kids you recruit. They're the ones that make me look good.' ... In the end, it was his work ethic that they adopted."

King said that Mr. Lyden was a coach on the cutting edge of the sport. He had a deck-side trampoline with spotting harness long before trampolines became a staple.

Before coming to UK, Mr. Lyden coached at LSU and Eastern Michigan.

Under his watch, 12 Cats earned 49 All-America honors.

In 2006, Taryn Ignacio of Richmond became UK's first NCAA champion diver, setting school and NCAA records on the 10-meter platform.

Having trained under Mr. Lyden while in high school, she attended Florida State for a year, then transferred to UK.

"Being with Mike before I went away to college, it was good for me to get away and see what it was like to be coached by someone else," Ignacio said. "I realized I wasn't going to be the diver (I could be) without Mike. I needed Mike to push me and make me a better diver."

On days when Mr. Lyden was too ill to attend practice this season, Ignacio filled in as coach. Ignacio said she will remember Mr. Lyden for "how much of a fighter he is."

"Mike was such a good mentor. ... When I wanted to quit, Mike would push me even harder and motivate me. Mike is why I was the diver and am the person that I am today."

When Mr. Lyden arrived at UK, he inherited an up-and-coming sophomore, Tina Johnson. Under his guidance, Johnson became UK's first diving All-American (platform, 1994).

Clayton Moss became the first Wildcat single-season three-time All-American (1-, 3-, 10-meter) in 2002 and 2003.

Moss said he remembers "just how proud he was. And how proud I was to see all his hard work pay off. ... He was one motivated son-of-a-gun, and he taught all his kids to be that way as well.

"He's one of the most inspirational people you would ever want to meet. The guy woke up every morning at 4 o'clock with juice and vinegar. ... His drive towards his sport was relentless. It was an honor to be a part of what he was all about."

In 2005, UK women scored an unprecedented three-board sweep of the Southeastern Conference Championships.

While at UK, Mr. Lyden was named 1996 NCAA Women's Diving Coach of the Year. He was SEC Diving Coach of the Year nine times, including three consecutive seasons starting in 2005.

Mr. Lyden spent nine seasons at Eastern Michigan. He was the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year nine times. At LSU, Mr. Lyden was SEC Women's Coach of the Year four years in a row and was the 1992 SEC Men's Coach of the Year. The Tigers won 15 of a possible 24 SEC titles with Mr. Lyden.

More about Mike and a photo gallery from The University of kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Mike Lyden, Kentucky’s diving coach, died Friday after a lengthy illness at the age of 51. A graduate of Western Michigan University, Lyden had been with the Kentucky swimming and diving program since 1993.

"We are all saddened with the passing of our friend and colleague Mike Lyden," said Mitch Barnhart, Kentucky’s Director of Athletics. "Beyond his expertise in coaching, Mike embodied courage every day. He coached and led his athletes right through his final days, until the very end. He was a loving father and husband who also loved the Wildcats. There will be a void in our program left with his passing."

During Lyden’s tenure 12 Wildcats earned 51 All-America selections. In 2006, he led Taryn Ignacio to the school’s first national championship in program history when she set school and then-NCAA records on the platform. Lyden coached Kentucky’s first diving All-American, Tina Johnson, who earned All-America platform honors in 1994, and the Cats' first single-season three time All-American, Clayton Moss, in 2002 and 2003. In 2005 the Wildcat women divers swept the SEC championships, winning all three boards, an unprecedented achievement.

Lyden was honored as the 1996 NCAA Women's Diving Coach of the Year after leading two divers to All-America status on two boards. He was also named the SEC Diving Coach of the Year nine times in his career, including three consecutive seasons form 2005-07 at Kentucky.

"Today is obviously a very sad day for all of Kentucky, the University of Kentucky athletic department, the entire Kentucky swimming and diving program and most notably the Lyden family," said Gary Conelly, Kentucky’s swimming coach. "He was a wonderful man, and my deepest sympathies go out to Mike’s wife, Emily, and their three children."

"His fighting spirit as he battled cancer over the last couple of years embodied who Mike was as a competitor," Conelly said. "He loved competition and challenges, and never backed down when it became tough. I have made a lot of mistakes as a coach, but the best decision I ever made was hiring the best diving coach in the country in Mike Lyden."

Before arriving at UK, Lyden spent nine seasons at Eastern Michigan where he was the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year nine times. He then traveled to LSU where he received SEC Women’s Coach of the Year honors four times consecutively and was the 1992 SEC Men’s Coach of the Year. During Lyden’s tenure at LSU his divers won an incredible 15 of 24 possible SEC titles.

Along with his collegiate coaching, Lyden coached various Kentucky diving clubs and led seven age group divers to 18 national championships. The Junior World Diving Championships chose Lyden as a coach in the summer of 2002 held in Aachen, Germany. At that event he coached one member to a seventh-place finish in the one-meter and three-meter boards. In addition, Lyden served as the National Team Coach in 1988-90, 1992, 1994-96, 1998-2000, and directed divers in competitions in Italy, Austria, Mexico, Canada, Spain, China, France, and Holland.

At the 2005 Junior Nationals, Lyden coached his daughter, Jessica, who captured her first national championship by winning the one-meter. Jessica finished third in the three-meter event. She went on to win the one-meter at the Pan American Junior Championships in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

In addition to coaching, Lyden was a member of the U.S. Diving Rules Committee, the U.S. Olympic International Diving Committee and a member of U.S. Diving.

Lyden is survived by his wife, Emily, and his three children, Jessica, Jack and Brittany.

Mr. Lyden is survived by his wife, Emily, and children Jessica, Jack and Brittany.

The Iron Mike Memorial Fund has been created, for those who wish to contribute. Send checks to:

Wildcat Aquatics – Iron Mike Memorial Fund
Lancaster Aquatic Center
416 Complex Dr.
Lexington, KY 40506-0219