PCHS Celebrates Coach Danny Diaz: A Legacy of Inspiration in Swimming

Pat Adkins, Superintendent of Port Clinton Schools, at left, along with Swim Coach Danny Diaz, present the plaque that will commemorate Diaz inside the school for years to come. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

PORT CLINTON – In the spring of last year, Coach Danny Diaz concluded 24 years of leading the Port Clinton High School (PCHS) swim team. On December 18, he returned to the PCHS Natatorium for the school to acknowledge the significant effects he had on school athletics and on several young swimmers. Superintendent Pat Adkins revealed a plaque in Diaz’s honor that will be showcased within the school.

Diaz made a notable legacy of achievements upon leaving his coaching career. Due to his guidance, PCHS swimmers have competed at the state level for 22 straight years. His accolades include seven SBC Championships and two successive District Championships. He received the title of District Coach of the Year in 2010, 2022, and 2023. Diaz also mentored two of the five state champions in PCHS’s history.

Becky Diaz applauds along with the audience as they celebrate her husband, Danny Diaz, for his decades of contributions to Port Clinton swimmers. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

“He truly established a legacy with our swim team,” Adkins remarked. “He was more than just a swim coach; he served as a mentor and role model as well.”

Adkins pointed out that swimming requires the most rigorous training of any sport at the school, yet Diaz made the experience enjoyable for the students.

“He transformed a demanding sport into something fun for our kids,” he stated. “Committing to anything for 24 years isn’t simple, yet he achieved that, and he did it exceptionally well.”

This plaque will be installed at Port Clinton High School as a testament to the hundreds of youth influenced by Danny Diaz. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

While he is no longer coaching the swim team, Diaz continues to serve as the school’s physical education instructor, and he has taken on the role of Dean of Students this academic year. He also heads the advanced weightlifting program at the school.

“So, I’m still coaching in a sense,” Diaz mentioned. “I’ve found ways to meet that need.”

Diaz was taken aback when he found out the school was honoring him with a plaque.

“It’s incredibly humbling. I’m truly grateful,” he stated. “If someone had told me upon my high school graduation in Florida that I would one day be honored years later in Port Clinton, I would have thought they were joking.”

Diaz attributes his success as a coach to the support he received from the athletes and the adults around him over the past 24 years.

Coach Danny Diaz reacts as he is commended by Superintendent Pat Adkins during a ceremony on December 18. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

“I was contemplating – what contributed to this was the swimmers. They had faith in what I taught them,” he reflected. “It was the swimmers, the community, and the school.”

The school provided unwavering support, encouragement, and protection to the swim team, which frequently practiced during early mornings and after school.

“I was the first person Pat Adkins would contact if there was a two-hour delay or school closure because he didn’t want my swimmers traveling on the roads,” Diaz shared. “When you experience that level of support, it’s challenging not to succeed.”