Texas Confirms Eddie Reese Will Remain Head Coach
After rumors began circulating Thursday on Twitter that legendary University of Texas men’s coach Eddie Reese would be changing his plans and not be retiring, the school confirmed the news Friday with a tweet posted to the team’s official account. The tweet contained a brief statement from Reese, which read: “There’s more that I want to do for this current team. We have a great group of guys in our program. They have a great future in the sport, and I want to help them be as good as they can be.”
Texas separately confirmed the news that Reese will remain head coach for the 2021-2022 season, which will be his 44th as the Longhorns’ head coach. Wyatt Collins, Reese’s assistant for the past five seasons (including three championship-winning campaigns), will remain the assistant coach at Texas. The school will be seeking back-to-back national championships after earning a 27-point victory over California in March. Texas won the championship despite winning no individual swimming events at the meet and just two events overall, the 800 free relay and 1-meter diving.
Reese announced his retirement in March, just two days after leading the team to its 15th national championship. Reese announced then that he would move into the head coach emetitus role, where he would continue to assist on deck at practice but not be responsible for the entire program. There had been no indication that Reese was reconsidering his plans prior to Thursday, when athletic director Chris Del Conte and school president Jay Hartzell began corresponding on Twitter that they had rejected his retirement paperwork and he would be back on deck.
Reese has won more NCAA team championships than any other swim coach, with wins in 1981, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2021. Reese has coached 22 Olympic gold medalists and been the head coach of the U.S. men’s Olympic team in 1992, 2004 and 2008. He was an assistant coach on the U.S. Olympic team in 1996, 2000 and 2012. Three swimmers under his current tutelage qualified for the 2021 U.S. Olympic team, including Townley Haas, Drew Kibler and Gunnar Bentz, while three others missed the team by one spot.
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Why?!!! You are 80++. I get the AD didn’t want to hire Wyatt but what is left to prove?
Lots of coaches willing and eager to take over program.
Shame on the AD at TX for even allowing this. Eddie is great but this has gone too far.
What is the oldest head coach in D1 history? Curious
so did they just not allow him to retire