The University of Texas has officially opened the Eddie Reese Outdoor Pool, named in honor of the Longhorns’ longtime head coach.
The opening was announced via an Instagram video posted on Thursday, and comes about a month after it was filled with water for the first time.
The swimming world first learned about the pool in 2018 when Texas assistant coach Wyatt Collins posted a picture depicting the construction of the pool on his Instagram. Two years later, on Reese’s 79th birthday, the university filled the pool for the first time.
The new facility is located behind the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swim Center Pool, and will serve as an additional training location for Texas’ swimming and diving teams.
According to Collins’ original post, the new outdoor facility includes a diving dryland area, new team locker rooms, and a team lounge area. The main pool has 10 short course lanes that can be converted into 5 long course lanes.
The Texas Swim Center has one of the highest permanent seating capacities of any pool in the country, but the addition of the Eddie Reese Outdoor Pool will give the Longhorns the ability to train outdoors – which becomes more crucial under the shadow of coronavirus, which is believed to be spread more easily indoors than outdoors.
Reese, one of the winningest coaches in NCAA history, has guided the Longhorns since 1978. During that time period, the team has won 14 NCAA National Championships, 53 individual NCAA championships, and 50 NCAA championship relays. They have also won the Big-12 conference Championship every year since 1980. Reese has been named the CSCAA National coach of the year 8 times.
Internationally, Reese is a two-time US Olympic Team head coach and a 4-time US Olympic Team assistant coach. He has coached 29 Olympians who have won 39 gold medals, 16 silver medals, and 8 bronze medals.
So great! Wish other schools understood the impact of an amazing swim program. RIP-UCONN and Iowa. 🙁
When others are closing their pools and kicking their teams to the curb. Maybe Iowa can just commute down to use some of the additional lane space?
Awesome Myrtha Pool
Some great news that we all should be happy to hear. He is a class act!
Facilities, pools befitting the coaching caliber of its namesake. Eddie Reese is the greatest college coach of this century. What’s next for the Longhorns?
Great tribute to the GOAT.
“Enough about me. Let’s talk about you. How do you feel about me?”
#theoldjokesarethebestjokes
Who?
The goat
Pretty awesome and well-deserved, but I still think there needs to be a Shane Tusup pool where anything goes