Deep in the heart of Texas Eddie Reese has been coaching the Longhorns since 1978, churning out world-class athletes and creating a historic program which resulted this weekend in tying him as the winningest coach in college swimming.
Tonight’s title marks the 11th for the Texas Longhorns, and the 11th for Reese. The title ties him as the winningest coach in college history with Ohio State’s first coach Mike Peppe who coached from 1931 until 1962.
Reese has succeeded in creating a Texas swimming dynasty throughout the ages. He’s the only coach to have won NCAA team titles in four different decades. It all started when Reese first showed up on the deck at the University of Texas back in 1978.
After taking charge of the Longhorns, it only took Reese three years to turn the men’s swimming team, which had never before won an NCAA title, into the national champions at the 1981 NCAA Championships.
Little did everyone know that that win was just the start of what can arguably be described as the most successful college swimming run in modern-day swimming.
After their first championships, the Longhorns were the runners up to UCLA in 1982. They placed second again in 1984 before taking their second title in school history at the 1988 NCAA Championships in Indianapolis.
Reese and the Longhorns won three more titles after that to make it four straight. In 1992 Reese was named the head coach for the United States Olympic swim team. Capping off the ’90s, Reese grabbed one more title as Texas took down Auburn in 1996 at home.
In the 2000s, Reese kicked off the millennium with his seventh NCAA title. The Longhorns won again in 2001 and 2002. In 2004 Reese was once again named the head coach of the United States’ Olympic swim team as he was four years later in 2008.
It was in 2010 that Reese became the first coach to ever win NCAA titles in four decades when his Longhorns beat Cal 500-469.5. He added his 11th title this year in Iowa City.
Eddie Reese is by far one of the best coaches who has ever stepped foot on a pool deck. He’s shown this season and time-and-time again that he can make good swimmers great. He also proved with the likes of Licon that he can inspire drastic improvements in his athletes.
Reese has been inspiring some of the best athletes in swimming such as Ian Crocker, Brendan Hansen, and Aaron Peirsol, and will continue to do so at the helm of one of the top college programs in the nation.
Quick Stats On Reese
- 11 NCAA titles (’81, ’88, ’89, ’90, ’91, ’96, ’00, ’01, ’02, ’10, ’15)
- 35 consecutive conference titles
- Three-time US Olympic team head coach (1992, 2004, 2008)
- Coached 29 Olympians who have collectively won 39 golds, 16 silvers, and eight bronzes
- Has had 29 top-three finished at the NCAA championships in 37 seasons
- Was 9 time NCAA coach of the year
- Has never had the Longhorns place lower than 7th since 1980
If you are a successful swimming or diving coach, you have to be good at one thing: relating to athletes as people. Coaches all over are referred to Eddie both for his wry wit and entertaining deck persona which makes every workout something to look forward to. And it is not just in swimming as coaches in “major” sports can attest to at Texas.
Eddie makes swimmers better – just as he shared when asked. But he makes them better people!
He’s been coaching over 40 years and his program continues to evolve. Sounds like they did a lot more race pace swimming this season and last, and it paid off. What a great leader, God bless him.
Yeah, maybe he is a good coach, but I am very disappointed with his breaststroke. After award ceremony the entire Texas team including coaches dove into the diving pool. Eddie jumped last and proceeded to swim a very bad breaststroke. His pull is shallow, his head is low, and I will seriously have to coach him next 12 months so when Horns win all again, in March 2015, Eddie will show off new breaststroke. Help is coming, Eddie.
The Father of modern swimming, a legend that continues to add to the legacy that is Texas and USAS swimming!!!
Many more years of success Eddie! You are loved and respected by many; Godspeed in 2016!
Hats off to a great coach & doing it all at 73 years young!!!
Congrats Eddie! Your coaching and wit continue to improve every year.
judging from the videos here… this has also been one of Coach Reese’s best weeks of stand up comedy…