Iron Mike passed away at the age of 51 on Friday April 11, 2008, in Lexington, Ky. With a courageous spirit, he battled against lung cancer for 2 ½ years, confronting the disease with the same attitude that he used to instill and create success among his divers. Lyden’s coaching career spanned three decades and took him to three different schools with his final stop being the University of Kentucky.
"His fighting spirit as he battled cancer over the last couple of years embodied who Mike was as a competitor," said Gary Conelly, University of Kentucky's swimming coach. "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."
Hired in 1993 as Kentucky’s diving coach, he brought unprecedented success to the Wildcat swimming and diving program. He coached 12 Kentucky divers to 49 All-American Selections. In 2006, Taryn Ignacio won the school’s first national championship with her victory in platform diving at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. He was named the 1996 NCAA Women's Diving Coach of the Year, and won the SEC Diving Coach of the Year award nine times in his career, including three consecutive seasons at Kentucky, from 2005-07.
Lyden came to Kentucky from LSU where he was named Southeastern Conference (SEC) Women's Coach of the Year honors four consecutive times, and was the 1992 SEC Men's Coach of the Year. While at LSU, his divers won an incredible 15 of 24 possible SEC titles. Prior to his time at LSU, Lyden coached at Eastern Michigan Univeristy, where he was the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year for each of his nine seasons.
In addition to his collegiate success, Lyden was the coach several age group diving programs, most recently the Kentucky Dive Club in Lexington. He coached seven age group divers to 18 national junior titles, and was selected in 2002 as a coach by USA Diving for the U.S. team that participated in the Junior World Diving Championships in Aachen, Germany.
He also served as USA Diving National Team Coach in 1988-90, 1992, 1994-96, 1998-2000, and coached divers in competitions in Italy, Austria, Mexico, Canada, Spain, China, France, and Holland. He recently received the WHOSAM Award, presented annually to a diving coach “for a commitment to excellence and dedication to the highest physical, mental and spiritual ideals.”
Lyden led his daughter Jessica to her first national championship in 2005, when she won the 1-meter competition at the Speedo Junior National Diving Championships. Jessica went on to win the 1-meter event at the Junior Pan Am Diving Championships in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Jessica most recently was crowned the 2008 Kentucky State High School Diving Champion, setting a state record in the process.
Lyden is survived by his wife, Emily, and his three children, Jessica, Jack and Brittany.
With the passing of Mike Lyden, the diving community has the opportunity to contribute to a memorial fund set up by Wildcat Aquatics to help Mike’s family. Wildcat Aquatics is 501(c)(3) non -profit organization, and 100% of all donations will be used to benefit the family. Contributions may be sent by mail or directly deposited at any Fifth Third Bank. All checks must be made payable to Wildcat Aquatics-Iron Mike Memorial. Those who would like to mail in contributions may do so by sending their donation to:
Iron Mike Memorial Fund
University of Kentucky
Lancaster Aquatic Center
c/o Kentucky Diving Club
416 Complex Drive
Lexington, KY 40506-0219
