Dennis Edward Floden

Dennis E. Floden

Beloved Father, Grandfather, and Ballooning Pioneer

December 5, 1939 – July 3, 2025

 

Dennis E. Floden, affectionately known to many as Capt. Phogg, passed away peacefully on July 3, 2025, in Bradenton, Florida. He was 85.

 

Born in South Bend, Indiana, Denny was an accomplished swimmer in his youth, he won five Indiana State High School titles and was later inducted into both the Indiana High School Swimming Hall of Fame and the South Bend Riley High School Hall of Fame. At the University of Michigan, where he earned both his B.S. and M.A. in Education, he was a three-time All-American swimmer, contributing to three NCAA National Championship teams.

 

Denny began his professional life as a teacher in Flint, Michigan, before transitioning into a successful career in financial services with Mass Mutual and E.F. Hutton. In 1968, he took his first hot air balloon flight sparking a lifelong passion that would define his legacy. As Capt. Phogg he became a pioneering figure in ballooning, winning the U.S. National Hot Air Balloon Championship in 1971 and the First World Hot Air Balloon Championship in 1973.

 

He was also a visionary in commercial ballooning, developing high-profile programs for major brands including Buick and most notably, Kellogg’s. For 22 years, he served as the Chief Pilot for the iconic Tony the Tiger balloon program, one of the most successful aerial marketing campaigns in history. Denny was inducted into the United States Ballooning Hall of Fame in 2013.

 

Dennis is survived by his loving son Erik Floden, daughter-in-law Heidi, and his grandchildren Lindsey and Andrew. His legacy lives on in the skies he soared, the lives he touched, and the stories that will be told for generations.

 

A Celebration of Life will be held at Westminster Point Pleasant Towers Chapel, 1533 4th Avenue West, Bradenton, FL 34205, on Thursday, July 10 at 2pm.  In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Dennis’s memory to the National Balloon Museum (https://www.nationalballoonmuseum.com) or the Tidewell Hospice Foundation (https://tidewellfoundation.org/).