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Jim Stillson is in his his 34th year (2016-17) as head coach of the SMU men's and women's diving teams. Under Stillson, 20 divers have earned 71 All-America honors and Stillson has also coached three Olympians to four total appearances.

Following the 2016-17 season, Stillson was named the American Athletic Conference Men's Diving Coach of the Year after leading Bryce Klein to his second straight conference Most Outstanding Diver award. Stillson also coached Klein into the NCAA postseason, making an appearance on both springboards at the NCAA Zone D Championships.

The 2015-16 season saw Klein earn American Athletic Conference Diver of the Year honors and advance to the NCAA Championship on 3 meter. Klein also qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials advancing to the 3 meter synchro finals and 3 meter semifinals.

During both the 2014-15 and 2013-14 seasons, Stillson coached Devin Burnett to a sweep of the AAC title in all three diving events, which led Burnett to be named the AAC's Most Outstanding Diver. For his efforts as well as the other Mustang divers, Stillson was named The American's Men's Diving Coach of the Year both seasons. Burnett went on to earn Honorable Mention All-American honors on 3 meter at the 2015 NCAA Championship.

In his 30-plus years at SMU, Stillson has coached three Olympians including 1992 silver medalist Scott Donie. Since 1970, Stillson has guided student-athlete divers to 88 All-America honors, including three NCAA Diver of the Year award winners. At SMU, Stillson has coached four NCAA champions in eight different events, and since 1974, 10 U.S. National Champions have been crowned champion under the tutelage of Stillson. Overall, SMU has seen 21 of Stillson's divers win 89 conference championships and 20 divers earn 71 All-America honors. 

In 1989, Stillson was named the NCAA Men's Diving Coach of the Year and in 1990 and 1995, the NCAA Women's Diving Coach of the Year. On the conference level, he has earned 16 conference diving coach of the year honors while at SMU. Stillson served as one of the U.S. Diving National Team coaches from 1987-91 and again in 1997. His successful coaching ability in 1999 earned him that year's United States Olympic Committee Diving Coach of the Year award.

In 1992, Stillson received the Mike Malone Memorial Award, given for outstanding contributions to diving by the national governing body of the sport, U.S. Diving. Stillson has coached the U.S. National Diving Team in competition in Europe, Australia, China and the Soviet Union. In addition, he was selected as a team leader for the USA Diving team at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In May of 2015, he was honored by the International Swimming Hall of Fame with the Paragon Award. He is a member of the NCAA diving committee.

Stillson was born in Aberdeen, Md. and attended Campbell High (Calif.) where he was a high school All-American diver. A 1974 graduate of Ohio State, Stillson earned NCAA All-America honors his senior year on three-meter. Stillson has four very important ladies in his life, his daughters, Katy, Chanelle and Mariah, and wife, Elisabeth.