Ed Brennan Retiring From Full-Time Coaching After 40 Years At Tampa

Longtime University of Tampa swim coach Ed Brennan will retire from his full-time role this year, though he’ll remain coaching part-time.

Brennan was the head swimming coach for the Tampa Spartans from 1980 through 2016. In 2016, he stepped back to an assisting role on the men’s side, and did the same on the women’s side in 2018, assisting Jimi Kiner, now the head coach for both men and women. Brennan will remain with the programs, but only in a part-time role, the school says.

Brennan coached at Columbia Prep School in New York in the mid-seventies, and coached at Fordham University at the college level before taking over the Tampa program 40 years ago.

Tampa competes in the NCAA’s Division II and the Sunshine State Conference (SSC). In 2020, the Tampa men won their first-ever conference title and the women finished second.

The full Tampa press release is below:

TAMPA, Fla. – Ed Brennan, who began his career as the head swimming coach at the University of Tampa in 1980, has retired from his role as a full-time coach for the Spartans. The legendary coach will continue with the Spartans in a part-time role.

Brennan built the Spartan swimming program into a national powerhouse, leading his teams to more All-Americans and NCAA National Championships appearances than any other Spartan program. In total, Brennan coached 32 national championships by Spartan individuals and relay teams at the NCAA Championships.

Serving as the head men’s coach until 2016 and women’s coach until 2018, Brennan successfully led the Spartan program to the Sunshine State Conference as his women’s squad captured three of the first four league titles. On the national level, his men’s teams finished in the national top-10 a total of 20 times with a best finish of third at the 1985 championships. His women’s teams were equally as successful as they garnered 14 top-10 finishes and were the national runner-up in 1986-88.

Prior to joining the Sunshine State Conference, Brennan led his women’s team to a 2009 Bluegrass Conference championship. In 2003, the Spartan men won the New South Conference championship for the first time with Brennan earning New South Coach of the Year honors.

Brennan began his career at Columbia Prep School in New York City. While there he compiled a 78-23 record over nine years which included an undefeated season in 1974-75. He then moved on to Fordham University, where took an 0-10 team to a 10-0 finish the next year, the school’s only undefeated season in 50 years of competition, earning Brennan conference Coach-of-the-Year honors in 1979.