2010-11 CCSA Men's Diving Coach of the Year
Lt. Col Ray Porter, USMC (Ret.), joined VMI Swimming and Diving as its Volunteer Diving Coach for the 2010-11 season, bringing with him a wealth of experience. 2013-14 marks his fourth year with the program, and he already has seen his proteges earn four all-conference honors and break multiple school records. Heather Magill has set and reset both diving record, 1 and 3-meter, multiple times, while on the men's side, Nate Myers is a past all-CCSA performer and former Keydet Dallas Disbro posted an NCAA Zone Qualifying effort in 2011-12. In his first season, Porter was named the 2010-11 CCSA Men's Diving Coach of the Year.
While attending his alma mater, New Mexico, and serving with the Marine Corps, Porter won numerous diving titles in both the springboard and 10-meter platform disciplines. Those included the Western US AAU, the Skyline College Conference, the Mexican/American Games, the Far East Invitational and the Pan American Games. He has coached several divers on an individual basis, but VMI is his first experience coaching on the collegiate level.
Porter graduated from New Mexico in 1960, and during his military career, received a large number of awards. Those included the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars, the Meritorious Service Medal, two Navy Commendation Medals and a pair of Navy Achievement Medals. In addition, he participated in the last official battle of the Vietnam War, the 1975 recovery of the SS Mayaguez. During that engagement, Porter led the party that conducted the United States' first hostile ship-to-ship boarding since 1826.
Since his retirement from the Marine Corps, Porter has earned a Masters Degree in teaching emotionally disturbed and learning disabled youth from George Mason University, and taught middle school special education students for 10 years. He has also coached several sports besides diving, including a middle school wrestling team that earned 10 straight regional titles, and finally, Porter also represented the Marine Corps as its senior tennis champion for three years.
Lt. Col. Porter and his wife, Dorothy, have three children and seven grandchildren.
