Bob Bowman made it clear that when the opportunity arose to be the head coach at the University of Texas, it was an something he simply couldn’t turn down.
Bowman holds the Longhorns swimming & diving program in the highest regard, the gold standard in the sport, and he reiterated that sentiment when speaking to his athletes recently as the NCAA season inches closer to kicking off.
In a clip of his speech to his swimmers posted on Instagram, Bowman said when he first arrived in Austin the night it was announced he took the job (April 1), 48 hours after winning the NCAA title with Arizona State, he got to his hotel room and put on every piece of Texas gear he was given by the team.
“I went up to my room…it was 10 o’clock, it was late. I put on every piece of clothing in that bag and looked at myself in the mirror. Because for my entire time in swimming, this stood for the best (pointing to the Longhorn logo on his shirt).
“We wear it everyday…this is your experience but the people who came from the outside (referring to himself and his coaches), this is our dream. So I want you to remember that when you put it on…what it stands for. Not only to you but to everybody out there. And there’s a lot to live up to when you put this on.”
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Bowman will lead the men’s team into a new era in 2024-25, as the Longhorns join the SEC after an unprecedented run of dominance in the Big 12 under longtime head coach Eddie Reese, who retired after the end of last season.
After a long run of first or second-place finishes at NCAAs, the Texas men fell to third in 2023 and then were seventh in 2024. Bowman comes in with work to do, but his appointment attracted a lot top-tier transfers who will provide immediate help to the team, headlined by Hubert Kos, who was one of the stars under Bowman at ASU.
Ironic that the lead photo shows him behind Herbie. Hopefully their collegiate program paths will continue to cross successfully.
Really interested at what he is going to do with Carson Foster…
That being said, can Bowman manage a group where Marchand and Foster are both going for Olympic gold in LA? Lfg Carson
Literally chills
Let’s goooooo!!!! 🤘🏻🤠🤘🏻
I think that Texas swimming will certainly rise much higher than many people think Without having to wait 2 or 3 years. The really interesting thing I suppose is what he said after the camera was turned off. And I still think that we’re going to see more transfers to Texas
Is this before or after he packed his bags and booked an one way ticket to Paris?
Wait but I thought he also held the ASU swimmers in highest regard… ngl kinda a joke…
Im really starting to think this isn’t an April fools joke
It’s all just photo shop