Staff calls him the godfather of all coaches. Students nick named him Papa Bear, but TISCA, the Texas Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association, calls him the 2011 recipient of their Lifetime Achievement Award.

Sam Serio’s career began in McKinney in 1983 when McKinney High School still housed at what is now Faubion.

“I have coached every sport except soccer and baseball,” Serio said.

When the high school opened in 1986, Serio became the swim and dive coach, reliving two of his greatest past times.

“I swam, dove, and did bowling in college,” Serio said. “I have always been near the water.”

From 1987 to 1993, Serio coached football and cross country, while teaching math and physical education. After 1993 he decided to coach only swim and dive, and still does so today.

“I am here 12 hours a day,” Serio said. “Except from Septmber to May, those are 13-hour days.”

Senior Adam Solis began swimming for Coach Serio his freshman year.

“We call him Papa Bear,” Solis said. “I definetly feel like he deserves this award. He’s a really good coach all around. He works hard and pushes us.”

Varsity football coach Jeff Smith also agress Serio deserves this award.

“He is the god-father of swim coaches,” Smith said.

Serio’s love for swim granted him more than a summer job when he met Patricia Anderson 39 years ago at a community pool.

“She was 15 and worked under me,” Serio said. “I taught her how to be a life gaurd. I waited until she turned 18, then I married her. Several big moments in my life have happened in the water.”

Two weeks after the birth of each child and grandchild, Serio takes them to a pond for swimming and fishing.

“I can’t tell you when their first step was, but I can tell you when we first fished and what pond,” Serio said.

This Lifetime Achievement Award represents more than Coach Serio’s job, family, and students, it reflects a lifetime affair between a man and water.

“It’s a lot of praise,” Serio said. “It’s a very good honor.”

Story by Hailey Kilgo

Photos by Brittany Stout