Cullen, a 1990 graduate of SMU, has more than 30 years of experience working with students and athletes. He comes to HP from Denton ISD, where he served as a swim coach, water polo coach, aquatics director and teacher since 1991. He was named the Texas Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (TISCA) State Water Polo Coach of the Year in 2018, and he is a 10-time TISCA Regional Coach of the Year. He has also served as USA Water Polo Southwest Zone Head Olympic Development Coach since 2016.
The HPISD School Board voted unanimously to add water polo as a varsity sport at its Feb. 15 meeting. HPHS will field boys-only and girls-only teams beginning Aug. 1 as part of the 2022-23 UIL Water Polo Pilot Program. Coach Cullen will coach the Scots' inaugural season, which will run from August-October 2022.
"I am beyond excited to be joining the HP family," Cullen said. "I am eager to work with the aquatics athletes and new swimming and diving coach Jason Pullano to build champions in water polo and swimming. I look forward to building a culture of excellence and tradition for the new HPHS water polo teams."
"Coach Cullen brings a wealth of water polo experience to the upstart HP program," HPISD Athletic Director Rodney Webb said. "He is widely recognized as one of the premier water polo coaches in the state, and he was instrumental in the movement to add water polo as a UIL-sanctioned sport."
Cullen and his wife Kristin, a Math Interventionist in Denton ISD, have two children. Their daughter Katherine is a recent graduate of Pitzer College and will work in the graphic design field. She was a member of the 2022 National Division 3 Water Polo Team. Their son Cameron is a junior at California Baptist University majoring in marketing and a varsity water polo player.