Hobie Billingsley obit

Hobie Billingsley, Coach of a Diving Dynasty, Dies at 95

A national champion diver himself, he led Indiana University to glory over 31 years and guided gold medal winners in the Olympics.

 He was not on the list.

Legendary Indiana University and USA Diving coach Hobie Billingsley died on Saturday morning at 94 years old. Billingsley was very influential to the sport of diving, earning a reputation as one of the sport’s greatest coaches over his career.

Billingsley coached Indiana’s diving programs from 1959-89. He was recognized as Diving Coach of the Year for seven consecutive seasons from 1964-70. During his tenure at IU, he coached 14 NCAA diving champions and 23 Olympic divers. The individuals he coached have won115 national titles, 22 Big Ten Championships, and 6 Olympic medals. 

In addition to IU, Billingsley had several opportunities to coach Team USA, being on staff for the 1968, 1972, 1976, and 1980 Olympics. In 1992 and 1996, he returned to the Olympics as a diving judge.

Among the divers Billingsley coached were Cynthia Potter, who won bronze at the 1968 Games in Mexico City and still owns the American record with 28 national titles. He also had a hand in the careers of Olympic gold medalists Lesley Bush, Kenny Sitzberger and Mark Lenzi.

Sandy Searcy, a former IU swimmer and Director of Sports at the National Federation of State High School Associations, attended a 90th birthday celebration held for Billingsley in 2017. Of his life and legacy, she said:

It is clear that Hobie’s main focus was on the development of his athletes, in both mind and body. The lessons learned served them for life as it set the foundation for discipline, facing fear, determination, and persistency. Many considered Hobie a father figure.

Prior to his storied coaching career, Billingsley was an accomplished diver in his own right. He earned All-American honors at Ohio State in 1945, then again from 1948-50. As a freshman, he won NCAA titles in both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events. Following his freshman year, Billingsley joined the Armed Forces and served in Japan during World War II. He then returned in 1948 to finish his college career.

While at Ohio State, Billingsley was teammates with the legendary James “Doc” Counsilman (1920-2004) who would later become the head swim coach at IU. Counsilman built Indiana’s swim team into a superpower in the 1960’s and 70’s, leading the team to six consecutive NCAA titles from 1968 through 1973.

During the 30 years the Counsilman and Billingsley coached together, the Indiana Swimming and Diving teams also won 23 Big Ten championships. The current IU swimming and diving facility is called the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center, named after this powerhouse coaching duo.

Billingsley is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame (1983), Indiana University Athletics Hall of Fame (1994) and in 1994 was presented the Sammy Lee Award, the most prestigious award in the world for the sport of diving. The Indiana High School Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame sponsors an award in Billingsley’s name that represents an esteemed honor to be bestowed upon a high school diver or coach.

 Billingsley is also an author, having written several books about diving, coaching diving, and his autobiography, titled: “Challenge: How to Succeed Beyond Your Dreams”.

Divers under his tutelage won 115 national diving titles and seven Olympic medals. His Olympic gold and bronze medalists include Lesley Bush, Kenneth Sitzberger, Mark Lenzi (twice), Cynthia Potter, Edwin Young, and Jim Henry. Billingsley coached diver Russ Bertram at Indiana from 1986-1989, a talented diver who would have an accomplished career as an Olympic and collegiate dive coach with the University of Arizona from 2006-2013, and with Denison University after 2013.