Known as “the voice of swimming,” Sam Kendricks's talent, love, enthusiasm, and dedication to the sport brought him to announce all major USA and NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships for the past thirty years. This list includes the past six U.S. Olympic Trials. He grew up swimming in age-group and high school competition in Irving, Texas. This led him to walk on to the University of Texas swim team. Kendricks had a strong desire to be a coach and switched from swimmer to team manager with the 1981 team that won the NCAA Championship. Kendricks went on to coach under Eddie Reese at Texas for five years and on Richard Quick's staff for three years before coaching club swimming in Arkansas until retiring from coaching in 1995. During his time at Texas he took over the job of announcing meets. It was the beginning of a career that would span the whole of USA Swimming. Kendricks had a talent for getting the crowd involved at meets and calls of “Come on folks, let's get ‘em home!” could be heard at any of his events. He will always be remembered for his well-known catchphrase at big and record-breaking moments: “Boomshakalaka!” Though famous for NCAA meets and Olympic trials, Kendricks also cared deeply for his work at Junior Nationals and always showed a dedication to the future of swimming. It is with sadness that Sam peacefully passed away July 6th at home in Los Alamos, N.M., at the age of 59 from Merkel Cell Carcinoma with his loving wife Shay at his side. Sam would have turned 60 on July 31. He was thrilled to be informed of being included with so many outstanding honorees and was a loyal supporter of the Texas Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame.