Wayne State University Athletics

Mason, a native of Birmingham, Mich., and graduate of Bloomfield Hills Andover HS, was Wayne State's first national champion diver and a seven-time All-American. He lettered four seasons at Wayne, in 1977-78, 1978-79, 1980-81 and 1981-82. At the 1982 NCAA Division II National Championship Meet, Mason won the national three-meter diving title with 508.65 points. At that time Mason's point total was the third-highest ever in that event at the Division II championships. He finished sixth in the one-meter event at that meet. Mason earned NCAA-II All-America status in both diving events at four national championship meets in all bout his freshman year, when he finished 13th in the one-meter event. At that time, the top 12 finishers received All-America recognition. Also during this era, top finishers at the Division II meet advanced to the Division I meet held a few weeks later, which Mason did in both 1981 and 1982. This allowed Mason to dive competitively against the top talent in the country. The NCAA discontinued this in the mid-1980's. He qualified for the 1981 NCAA-I meet after finishing second in the three-meter and fourth in the one-meter at the 1981 NCAA-II National Championships. Mason set all of Wayne State's team and Matthaei Pool diving records during his career, several of which still stand today. He won six Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) one- and three-meter diving titles during his career, in 1978, 1981, and 1982. The GLIAC did not hold a men's championship meet in 1979. Mason was named Wayne's Most Improved Athlete as a freshman, and he earned a tem senior award in 1982. He was twice selected the Miller Athlete-of-the-Week by The South End during his career. In 1982-83 and for part of the 1983-84 season Mason served as the Tartars' diving coach. Mason earned his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Wayne State in 1995. From 1984 to 1992, Mason served as the diving coach at Oakland University. With the Pioneers, Mason coached five NCAA-II national champions, 18 All-Americans, 12 GLIAC champions, and four of his divers were recognized as NCAA-II Diver-Of-The-Year. In 1990 Mason was selected by his peers as the NCAA-II Diving Coach-Of-The-Year. In 1983 Mason opened a diving school, Precision Diving, which he still runs today. Several of his students have enjoyed outstanding high school, juniors and collegiate careers. Since 1994 Mason has served as the diving coach at his high school alma mater, Andover, and he is also the diving coach at Bloomfield Hills Lasher HS and all three middle schools in the Bloomfield Hills District. As a high school coach, he has had seven student-athletes win state titles, 55 make the state final meet, 12 earn high school All-America status, eight county champions, and seven regional champions. Among his coaching highlights is a day in 1990 when he was named Michigan High School Diving Coach-Of-The-Year for two different classes when two of his athletes won state titles on the same day. Both were named Diver-Of-The-Year for their respective class. Mason is single, and he resides in Bloomfield, Mich.