As Eddie Reese Turns 79, Texas Opens New Pool Named in His Honor

79-year old University of Texas men’s head swimming & diving coach Eddie Reese is a living legend. And now, he will walk the decks of a pool named after him.

The University of Texas’ Texas Swimming Center filled the school’s new outdoor lap pool this week. For the first time, the name of the new center was unveiled to the public as well: the Eddie Reese Outdoor Pool.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDAFcj8h4Aa/

We first learned about the advent of the new pool in 2018, when assistant coach Wyatt Collins shared the news on Instagram. Construction began last year, and this week, two-and-a-half years later, the Longhorns hit the water. The Eddie Reese Outdoor Pool opened the same week as the coach turned 79 years old.

The facility is located just behind the legendary Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swim Center Pool, which is one of the major cogs of American swimming.

Reese is one of the winningest coaches in the history of NCAA Division I athletics. He took over the Texas program in 1978 and has led the program to 14 NCAA National Championships in the years since. He has been named CSCAA National Coach of the Year 8 times, and his Longhorns have won 41 consecutive conference titles, dating back to 1980: his 2nd season at Texas. His athletes have won 53 individual NCAA championships, and 50 NCAA championship relays.

Only 7 coaches, across all sports, have coached more teams to NCAA Division I championships than Reese has.

Reese is a two-time US Olympic Team head coach, 4-time US Olympic Team assistant coach, and has coached 29 Olympians who have won 39 gold medals, 16 silver medals, and 8 bronze medals.

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Mike Warren
3 years ago

Congratulations, well deserved.

Richard Sybesma
3 years ago

Naming the pool after Eddie is AWESOME. Great Coach and even better person. Class act by Texas to honor the best Coach in any sport at UT ever. Congrats

Ken Downunder
3 years ago

Well deserved not just a great coach great man as well.
Happy birthday Eddie still waiting for you to come down under we’ll all this uncertain times are over.Keep up the sit-ups and push ups.

Paul Murphy
3 years ago

Congratulations to one of my mentors and friends Eddie Reese. Well deserved.

Yup
3 years ago

I misread that as the ‘Eddie Reese Outhouse Pool’…..

Aaa bbb
3 years ago

How many lanes each way? What’s the depth range?

Thomas
3 years ago

Did Eddie ever coach the women’s team as well or were they always split?

Swim3057
Reply to  Thomas
3 years ago

Always split….when Eddie arrived in the late 70’s, Paul Bergen was coaching UT women.

Ol' Longhorn
3 years ago

He is the youngest 79 year old on the planet.

PsychoDad
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
3 years ago

The day we met him, he went to gym at 5:00am, held two practices (Wyatt was sick that day) and was going to watch grandaughter’s soccer game at 6:30pm. That is way more energy than I have.

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Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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