By Chris GentilvisoThe Daily Northwestern
When Northwestern women’s swimming coach Jimmy Tierney began his college coaching career in 1986 at Southern Illinois, Family Ties was the No. 2 television show in the nation.
Little did he know that twenty years later, both he and his sister would star in their own version of the show, leading two top NCAA Division I swimming programs.
As Tierney enters his 13th season at NU, his sister Dorsey Tierney-Walker will begin her second season as the co-women’s head coach of the Auburn Tigers. Last year, in her first season, she led the Tigers to their fourth overall NCAA title.
“I was pleased for her to get the position,” Tierney said. “I knew it would be a good place for her to develop as a coach and it has definitely enhanced her professional career. She’s one of the hardest working coaches I know.”
Her placement at Auburn came after a successful tenure at Indiana University. In 1999, Walker inherited a Hoosiers team that finished fifth in the conference the season before. Seven seasons later, she had coached it to five top-three Big Ten conference finishes and a winning percentage of .731.
Although the SEC has provided her with a great coaching opportunity, Dorsey admitted to missing the Big Ten and the support of her brother.
“In my coaching career, I consult with (Jimmy) about just about everything,” Dorsey said. “He steered me towards every job and has been an invaluable resource.”
Despite the competitiveness of the conference, Jimmy said that he and his sister focused more on collaboration than sibling rivalry when she coached in the Big Ten.
“We would often talk about recruiting and sharing evaluations on high school prospects,” he said. “Each of us wants to be successful, and we did everything we could to help each other out.”
As young kids, the Tierney siblings bonded around the pool, thanks to their mother.
“My mom was the swim instructor more than a coach,” Tierney said. “She helped us develop a love for the water. At a young age, there’s a lot of time, money and travel involved in swimming. My dad wasn’t involved that much, but was a factor because he had been an athlete himself.”
But in the early 1980’s, the Tierney family suffered through great tragedy, as the swimming stalwarts lost their mom.
At the time, Jimmy was immersed in his amateur coaching career at the Lakeside Swim Club in Louisville, Ky., one of the nation’s most successful swim clubs in the country.
During his tenure, Lakeside captured 10 consecutive state championships and produced two USA Olympic swimmers. One of the best swimmers on this squad happened to be his sister, Dorsey, who was a finalist in the 1988 Olympic trials.
“She was an emerging star when I was working as an assistant, and it was great to watch and experience,” he said. “It was a huge help in developing the strength of our personal relationship as well, as we grew even closer.”
The Tierneys will meet up again, this time on the world stage – they will both be coaching at the World University Games in Aug. 2007.
“What a great honor,” Dorsey said. “To represent the United States is one thing, but to be alongside my brother makes it that much more sweet. I absolutely can’t wait.”
Reach Chris Gentilviso at [email protected].
