While his swimmers go about their usual practice, at the side of the water overseeing it all stands renowned head coach Eddie Reese, arms folded and glasses perched at the tip of his nose.
Reese is a legend in NCAA swimming and diving, holding a number of records, titles and achievements within his 58 years of coaching.
He is the only swimming coach within the NCAA to win team titles in five separate decades and has led the Longhorns to 15 national team titles and 44 consecutive conference titles.
He is a three-time head coach of the U.S. Olympic men’s swimming team and a four-time College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America National Coach of the Year, eight-time NCAA Coach of the Year and four-time American Swimming Coaches Association Coach of the Year. He was also inducted into the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor, Texas Sports Hall of Fame and the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Now, in the wake of his 46th season at Texas, Reese announced his decision to retire from coaching after the 2024 Olympic Trials.
“Working with swimmers has been one of the true joys of my life,” Reese said in a media release from Texas Athletics. “In my life, I’ve discovered that the most important thing for us to do in this world is help others, whether it be for something simple or complex. It has been an honor for me to be a part of this program.”
Reese’s historic career began when he was hired by then-Athletic Director Darrell K. Royal in 1978. His new position at Texas followed an impressive rebuilding project at Auburn over a course of six years, which resulted in four consecutive Top 10 finishes.
Reese’s success comes from not only his swimming knowledge, but his ability to connect with his athletes out of the water.
“Eddie is constantly teaching,” said Kris Kubik, a former assistant coach at Texas, in Reese’s biography on the Texas Athletics website. “He does a lot of talking about life, as much as he talks about swimming. He talks about how to apply what you learn in swimming to life.”
His philosophy of focusing on the individual athlete has enabled Reese to lead Texas to this amount of success. Although wins are taken seriously, the first priority of the team is each swimmer’s goals for himself.
“He always says that his only goal for this season is to see us all get better,” junior Luke Hobson said in a July 2022 interview with SwimSwam. “It just really helps motivate you and keeps you wanting to work hard and practice and get better.”
“I’ve always worried about the individual first,” Reese said. “We don’t talk about winning the NCAA Championship. We talk about what it takes for each individual to get better. What satisfies me as a coach is seeing people go faster than they ever have before. With that focus, we are in a battle for the championship every year. I like that, too.”
Over the years Reese brought a new standard to coaching. His style combines hard work with the ability to let his swimmers have fun and find enjoyment in their disciplines.
“Eddie Reese is truly the greatest coach ever,” Athletic Director Chris Del Conte said in a press release. “His records speak for themselves, but the way he led his program, trained and prepared his student-athletes to perform at their best in the pool and all facets of their lives, is just exemplary and extraordinary. Nobody has or will ever do it better.”
While a successor for Reese has not yet been found, they will have some big shoes to fill. Reese will officially retire in mid-June, following almost 50 years of coaching at Texas.
