Nick Rodionoff, Pepperdine Coach and Dive Advisor, 87

Passages: Nick Rodionoff, Lengthy-Time period Pepperdine Coach and Dive Advisor, 87

Nick RodionoffThe previous feminine swimming and diving head coach at Pepperdine, who had labored on the faculty for forty years, died on February 17. She was 87 years outdated.

Rodionoff led the swimming and diving program for 18 years, from 2000-18. On the Pacific Collegiate Swim & Dive Convention Championships, Waves completed in 14 high fives. He was named PCSC coach of the 12 months in 2002 and 2009, he acted as a mentor. jessica mosbaugh obtained the consecutive convention swimmer of the 12 months award and lectured to 6 PCSC divers of the 12 months. He additionally led the group in an try to undermine this system.

“It is a actually unhappy day for Pepperdine Swim and Dive,” stated Pepperdine Athletics Director. Steve Potts aforementioned in a university statement. “Nick cherished our program and each student-athlete he coached greater than anybody else. We pray God for consolation, peace and blessings for Carrie and your complete Rodionoff household.”

Rodionoff’s tenure as head coach was just one episode of his lengthy teaching profession, together with being inducted into the Nationwide Excessive College Coaches Corridor of Fame in 2004. He coached the lads’s dive group at Pepperdine from 1974 and based the ladies’s group in 1987, main 5 consecutive undefeated seasons. She was a diving coach at UCLA from 1964-76.

Rodionoff graduated from Occidental Faculty in 1957 competing in diving, soccer, and observe and area. He received a convention championship in diving in his senior 12 months. She taught within the Los Angeles College District for 39 years and coached the boys’ and women’ swimming and diving groups for 33 years at Birmingham Excessive College in Van Nuys. Their groups have received 31 league titles, 10 Los Angeles Metropolis Division males’s championships and 4 women’ titles, with a report 324-3 in duos. He coached 36 All-People. In 1999, he obtained the Fred A. Cady Memorial Coaches Award, which is given to trainers who’ve given 25 years or extra to athletes within the USA diving program.

“Nick welcomed me into this function with nothing however open arms and help and encouragement,” stated present Pepperdine head swimming and diving coach. Ellie Monobe aforementioned. “He gave me one of the best teaching transition a rising assistant might think about. I’m nonetheless extremely humbled and honored to have recognized him, and I want I had met him sooner. Nick shall be sorely missed by student-athletes previous and current, however his legacy is the longer term swimming and diving Waves. shall be remembered perpetually.”

Pepperdine retired males’s volleyball head coach “Swimming and diving, the Pepperdine neighborhood and the teaching world have misplaced an enormous” Marv Dunphy aforementioned. “Coaches, athletes and other people basically cherished being round Nick due to his genius, largely due to his abundance of frequent sense, they knew what he stood for and the way deeply he cared. He was a troublesome, robust and on the identical time light teddy bear in each method. Kindness is the best type of knowledge and Nick was form.

Birmingham Excessive College named the pool after him, and Pepperdine renamed it the Malibu Invitational in honor of Nick and his spouse, Carrie.

Rodionoff was born in Los Angeles in 1935 to musical mother and father: Father Sergei was a musician and composer; his mom Maria was an opera singer. He started teaching at Porter Center College, the place he additionally taught. He was additionally a profitable photographer and cartographer.

he Survived by his wife of 54 yearsCarrie (née Bentley), two youngsters and 4 grandchildren, whom he met whereas coaching to change into a swimming coach. The household is asking these to donate flowers to the Nick and Carrie Rodionoff basis as an alternative of flowers.