The Dick Hannula Award is given to the top male and female amateur athletes in or from Tacoma-Pierce County for the past year. Hannula, an internationally-known coach and a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame, also led his Wilson boys swim teams to 24 straight state titles, and coached numerous world-class swimmers such as Kaye Hall-Greff, Janet Buchan Elway, Barbara Mitchell, Chuck Richards, Dick, David and Dan Hannula, Miriam Smith, and Sarah Rudolph.
 
Hannula began his coaching career in 1952 and retired 41 years later in 1993. He was one of the developers of the American Swim Coaches Association’s Swim America Program. He has coached four U.S. Olympic team swimmers, including Kaye Hall, Olympic and world-record holder for the 100-meter backstroke, as well as Janet Buchan Elway, Chuck Richards, Dick, David and Dan Hannula, and Miriam Smith Greenwood among others.
 
Aside from Hannula’s interscholastic success, he has also coached the Pan-American Games team and five U.S. International swim teams. He served as a manager for two U.S. Olympic teams and one Pan-American Games team.
 
Hannula was named the National High School Coach of the Year in 1980 and awarded the NISCA National Collegiate and Scholastic Swimming trophy in 1980. He is a member of the NISCA and International Swimming Halls of Fame.
 
Award Recipients
 
 
Year Award School
2023 Emeka Egbuka
Steilacoom High School
Ohio State University
Bryanna Maxwell
Gig Harbor High School
Gonzaga University
2022 Kendall Burks
Stadium High School
University of Washington
Zyonna Fellows
Mt. Tahoma High School
University of Arizona
2021 No recipients due to COVID  
2020 Bellarmine
San Diego State University
Curtis High School
Washington State University
2019 Sumner High School
University of Puget Sound
Fife High School
University of Washington
2018 Annie Wright
Claremont McKenna College
Bonney Lake High School
Oregon State
2017 Tri-Valley High School (NY)
Georgetown University
Bellarmine Prep
University of Colorado
2016 Emerald Ridge High School
Portland State University
Curtis High School
Washington State University
Puyallup High School
Stanford University
2015 Curtis High School
Washington State University
 
 Puyallup High School
2014 Foss High School
Oregon State University
Bellarmine Prep
University of Washington
2013 Curtis High School
University of Kansas
Orting High School
Oregon State University
2012 Lincoln High School
University of Puget Sound
Gig Harbor High School
University of Washington
Curtis High School
University of Kansas
2011 Lincoln High School
Georgia Tech University
Life Christian Academy
Pepperdine University
2010 Bellarmine Prep
University of North Carolina
Curtis High School
University of Washington
2009 Puyallup High School
Central Washington University
Sumner High School
U.S. Olympics Team
2008 Rogers High School
Washington State University
Puyallup High School
University of Washington
2007 Cascade Christian High School
Ohio State University
Emerald Ridge High School
Pacific Lutheran University
2006 Puyallup High School
University of Washington
Foss High School
Portland State University
2005 Ryan Moore Cascade Christian High School
University of Nevada at Las Vegas
2004 Reggie Williams
University of Washington
2003 Ryan Moore Cascade Christian High School
University of Nevada at Las Vegas
2002 Dana Boyle
University of Puget Sound
2001 Chad Johnson Rogers High School
Pacific Lutheran University
2000 Megan Quann Jendrick Emerald Ridge High School
Pacific Lutheran University
1999 Kirk White Curtis High School
Boise State University
1997 Shannon Forslund Mt. Tahoma High School
1996 Karl Lerum
Pacific Lutheran University
Dusty Brett Bellarmine Prep
1995 Brock Huard Puyallup High School
1994 Marc Weekly Rogers High School
Pacific Lutheran University
1993 Kate Starbird Lakes High School
1992 Sonya Olejar Bellarmine Prep
Pepperdine University
1991 Damon Huard Puyallup High School
1990 Andy Maris White River High School
1988 Sonya Brandt
Pacific Lutheran University
Mike Oliphant
University of Puget Sound
1987 Jim Martinson Puyallup High School