When Alabama swimming and diving coach Dennis Pursley sits in his office, memories of his long and illustrious coaching career surround him.
There’s the flag from the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, where the U.S. garnered 11 gold medals and 27 total. There’s a plaque commemorating the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where the U.S. led the medal count, taking 13 golds and 26 medals. There’s a Sports Illustrated cover from the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where the U.S. took a record 14 golds and 33 medals in what the magazine would later call the “greatest team performance of all time.”
And most recently, there’s the plaque from the 2012 London Olympics, where Pursley coached Team Great Britain to its highest ever finish.
Pursley, like many successful coaches, has an overriding philosophy that guides the way he leads his programs. Where Nick Saban has his infamous “Process” and John Wooden had his “Pyramid of Success,” Pursley, in his second year as head coach at Alabama, has three overarching principles – attitude, character and commitment – that he wants to bring with him as he builds the swim program at his alma mater.
The team will have a chance to test the principles out when they travel to Gainesville, Fla., Thursday to compete against the Florida Gators – a stiff test, said Pursley.
“For us it’s all about closing the gap,” he said. “With teams like Florida, it won’t be as noticeable as far as the score is concerned, but it’s being competitive. By that I mean being in the races. A year ago, we would swim a team like Florida, who’s defending SEC Champions, a national powerhouse, and we wouldn’t have been in many races. They’re still a stronger team than we are at this stage … But, rather than being blown away, we want to close that gap. We’ve got a chance to challenge ourselves to step up under not what you would consider ideal conditions.”
The team will leave Tuscaloosa at 6 a.m. Thursday and ride a bus 10 hours to Gainesville, just in time to have its pre-game meal and swim, Pursley said. For the Louisville, Ky., native, improvement is the goal for this weekend and the season.
“If we can keep everyone healthy … I’ll be real disappointed if we don’t move up from the bottom of the pack to the middle of the pack this year,” Pursley said. “If we continue to progress to that level each year in the coming years, it won’t be long before we’re contesting for championship team titles.”
As an Alabama graduate and fan, Pursley said he understands that contesting for championships is the expectation for coaches at the University.
“To be able to come full circle and end up where I started is a real special opportunity for me.” he said “That aside … It’s a culture and an environment here where championships are expected, and I don’t say that in a negative way as far as feeling a lot of pressure. I just feel a lot of positive energy and enthusiasm here. It’s a fun place to be right now.”
