A good coach makes you proficient at your sport. A great coach shapes your life and makes you a better person.
Shawn Delifus was a great coach for many of the area’s swimmers.
Shawn, Head Age Group Coach of the Julington Creek Loggerheads, passed away naturally but unexpectedly on April 22, 2016. He was just 30 years old.
His resume was stacked. After graduating from William M. Raines High School, he went to UNF, where he graduated with a degree in Sports Management in 2007.
While at UNF, he coached the NCAA women’s swim team and spent two years coaching at YMCA of Central Florida and five years at YMCA of Florida’s First Coast here in Jacksonville.
He had a promising career ahead of him, and his list of accolades was destined to grow. His achievements include six top-10 nationally ranked age-group swimmers, two state record holders, and four Olympic trial qualifiers. He also coached the 2010 Florida Swimmer of the Year.
However, based on what his colleagues and athletes say about him, his biggest contribution to their lives was outside the pool.
Loggerheads head coach Mark Corley said this in an email to his team: “Coach Shawn was an incredibly talented coach with a vision for our program and community that made him one-of-a-kind in swimming. He is beloved by teams he’s touched all over the country and by swimmers everywhere. We were fortunate to have him as part of our program, and his enthusiasm and infectious personality will live with his #loggerheadarmy forever.”
Lauren Neidigh, a former swimmer of Shawn’s, published a memoriam website on which she lovingly refers to him as the “Stroke Doctor.” She wrote about how he was there for her when nobody believed she could ever participate in athletics, how he made her feel comfortable when she came out as gay, and how he would motivate his athletes by any means necessary.
“He would do anything to get his swimmers to go fast,” she said. “Whether that meant putting on a pink tutu, coaching in a Santa suit, or using Star Wars logic in his unique coaching style.”
Another former swimmer and assistant Loggerheads coach, Kyle Casias, emphasized Shawn’s impact on the community he served.
“It was sometimes difficult to see the big picture as he saw it,” Casias said. “Faith in his commitment and drive moved the community towards his vision. He sought to better his community by simple actions that would profoundly shape how people would interact with each other. The community’s belief in Shawn, as incredible as it was, paled-in-comparison to Shawn’s belief in the community.”
Our thoughts are with Shawn’s family, friends, colleagues, and swimmers during this difficult time.
ITG Web Content
Loggerhead Swim Coach Passes Away
Written by Kim Hoy
