Jim Stacy, a fixture of the Northeast Ohio swimming scene for over 50 years, has died. He was 73-years old.
Stacy most recently served as an assistant coach with SwimUnited, where his son Thomas is the current head coach.
Jim Stacy grew up swimming for the University Circle YMCA, Lakewood High School, and the Lakewood Swim Club, where he was part of a State Championship team in 1962 and individually was a State runner-up. He went on to a collegiate career at the University of Cincinnati where he was a two-time NCAA qualifier.
After college, he coached briefly before joining the Navy, after which he returned to coach at the Lakewood YMCA from 1974 to 1981. Then he served as the head coach of the Berea Midpark Swim Club from 1982 through 1988, and was named the Lake Erie Coach of the Year twice, in 1983 and 1988.
He then returned to LRST, where his coaching career began, and worked as an assistant coach from 1989 to 1993, after which he was promoted to head coach from 1994 through 1998. He returned to the club again from 2007 through 2014, and coached a number of high school teams (including his alma mater Lakewood High School) in between.
He was a good man, a good coach. In my time coaching in the Lake Erie LSC I found him to have such a great perspective on the sport and the role coaches play in their athletes’ lives. I remember him being kind, supportive and lots of fun with his swimmers–the fast and the not-so-fast. I’m sorry to see this…
Didn’t know the man, but it sounds like he made a huge impact on the lives of young people. We can only hope to be helpful in this life and clearly this man was helpful in the development of swimmers. What a legacy.
I miss you Dad