Longhorns are having a party  Splishing and Splashing to national championships

1979- To Present Eddie Reese

Athletic Director Coach Darrell K. Royal made many wise decisions in hiring coaches for Texas. Cliff Gustafson, Abe Lemons, and Eddie Reese are three of them. DKR, the most accomplished coach in UT history, did not know it when he hired a man who would take the mantle from him.

For those who know him, his secret to success is intuition, brains, and a magnetic personality. Reese is a long term thinker always five years ahead of the game. Alcalde tells the story of how Shaun Jordan, who after placing 3rd in the state high school meet, thought his career was over, but Reese saw a beautiful stroke and asked Shaun to walk-on at Texas.

The rest is Longhorn’s swimming history and is explained in detail in this chronological history of Longhorn swimmers at Texas.

NCAA Championship (1981, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2010, 2015, 2016,2017)

Kubick says of Reese “He is a brilliant human being”, “He’s brilliant at reading people and understanding people.  Alcalde says that Reece has  a “combination of smarts, intuition, hard work, and a dash of serendipity”. 

1979-Coach Eddie Reese

Tony Scott is an All American

• His teams win an amazing 32 consecutive conference titles from 1980 thru 2017. 

• He coaches 42 individual NCAA champions, 204 All-Americans and 26 Olympians who have won 29 gold medals.

• 1992 he is the coach of  the men’s swimming team at the Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.

• Voted NCAA Men’s Swimming Coach of the Year eight times: 1981, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2001.

• ASCA (American Swim Coaches’ Association )Coach of the year in 1991, 2005, 2006, and 2009.

• He wins  the coveted CSCA award in 1991 for the coach who contributes  the most to the sport of swimming.

• Reese is inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2002, the the Hall of Honor in 1996.

• In 2002 he is inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. 

Eddie Reese developed the “wheels” method which involved a swimmer pulling himself up the Ramps at Memorial stadium on a 2 x 4 plank with lawn mower wheels on the back.

1979-Coach Eddie Reese 4-4

Eddies first year was the year football scholarship numbers were cut so swimmers got the full Swimming scholar allotment.

Media, programs, and magazines from Eddie Reese era are depicted in a slide show below.

SMU maintains its edge over the Longhorn men’s swim team by beating them for the 23rd consecutive time.  John Henry, Gary Grimsby, Ned Stack, and Duncan Hawthorn set a school record in the 400 relays, and John Kenny sets a school record in the 200 butterfly. 

Tony Scott and Kelly Rives are All Americans

The 1980’s

During the 1980s, the Longhorns claimed three NCAA team titles (1981, 1988, 1989) and all 10 Southwest Conference crowns. In 1981, just three years after taking over the Texas program, Reese captured his first national team championship. From 1981 to 1986, Texas turned in two NCAA runner-up performances (1982, 1984) and placed third in the national meet three times (1983, 1985, 1986).

After Reese’s fifth-place showing at the NCAAs with Texas in 1987, the Longhorns closed the decade strong, reeling off back-to-back titles in 1988 and 1989. TexasSports.com

1980-Coach Eddie Reese 6-3

The 80’s belonged to the Longhorns

Team finishes only 12 points behind the Cal Berkeley national champions.

After 23 consecutive years of losing to SMU the Longhorns finally win the SWC. Swimmers win 12 of 18 events at the SWC meet setting one American record, 7 conference records, and 10 school records.

Clay Britt is the first Longhorn ever in the history of Longhorn swimmers to win an individual NCAA National Championship. He sets an American record in the 100 backstroke.

Clay Brit’s accomplishments include:

• 3-time NCAA 100 yard Backstroke Champion, 1980,81,82

• American Record 100 yard Backstroke, 1981

• 3 time NCAA 400 Medley Relay Champion, 1980,1981,1982

• Member 1982 US World Championships Swim Team in Equador

• Member US World University Games Swim Team 1981 in Romania

Clay Brit is now a Master Swim Instructor

Clay Brit, Scott Spann, Nick Nevid (no picture), and (Kris Kircher) are the first Longhorns to ever win the national championship in a relay event.

1981 Coach Eddie Reese National Champions 6-2

1981: UT CAPTURES FIRST NATIONAL TITLE
Event Champions:
– 100 butterfly
– 100 backstroke
– 50 freestyle
– 400 medley relay
– 400 free relay

Co- Captains were Scott Spann and Kris Kirchner.

After finishing a school-best second at the 1980 NCAA Championships, the Longhorns enter the ’81 season as the favorite to claim their first-ever national crown. Not only did they do just that, but they did it at their own pool. Scott Spann (100 butterfly) Clay Britt (100 backstroke) and Kris Kirchner (200 freestyle) each win titles as Texas outdistanced runner-up UCLA 259-189. 

The Horns break school records in 6 events and SWC records in all relays.  At the national meet the Longhorns set three American records, two U.S. records, and two NCAA records.  

Reese is named Coach of the year. 

William Paulus Olympics 1980

At the University of Texas under Coach Eddie Reese, Paulus is a four-year all-American, five-time SWC champion, two-time NCAA champion and helps the Longhorns win their first-ever NCAA Championship in 1981. In 1980 he sets the world record and qualifies for the United State’s Olympic swim team; however, he did not attend the Olympics due to the U.S.’s boycott. 

Kris Kirchner is the first Longhorn to ever win the NCAA Championship in the 50 free

Scott Spann is the first Longhorn to ever win the NCAA Championship in the 100 butterfly

1982-Coach Eddie Reese 7-1 Team finished 2nd to UCLA

1983-Coach Eddie Reese 5-2 THIRD AT THE ncaa MEET

1981- 1985 Matt Scoggin is an Olympian diver for Texas under Mike Brown. . Matt will become the Head Diving Coach at Texas in 1996. 

1984-Coach Eddie Reese 7-2 Team was second at NCAA’s

At the SWC meet the Horns won the first 10 of 11 events in routing SMU.  The 400 yard medley relay consisting of Carey, May, Rives, and Ellison said a best time nationally for the year. 

Rick Carey is the first Longhorn swimmer since 1936 to win an Olympic gold medal

Rick Carey is the first Longhorn to ever win the NCAA Championship in the 100 and 200 backstroke. He won in American record times.

Rick Carey – Olympics 1980 -1984

Rick Carey wins  the NCAA championship in the 200 backstroke three years in a row and the 100 back two years in a row.

Rick was the fastest back stroker in the world while he was a Longhorn. Setting records at the Pan Am games, NCAA, and Olympics. Rick was rewriting the back stroke book and pushing the envelope.

Physically you would never guess he was the greatest back stoker in the world. A perfect back stroker was 6 foot 6” tall and 195 pounds with long arms. Carey was just under 6 foot and 186 pounds but confined in his body is a upper torso that houses a powerful muscular body that lifts him high in the water.

When Rick lost at swimming, anger set in and revenge became a motive to win. As his father noted, “Something happens to Rick Carey when he loses.”

Rick like many great athletes sets high standards for himself and sometimes judges other people by those standards. That is a kiss of death in social situation where Carey expects perfection from a date or a friend. A teammate explained “he allows no error in himself, and he expects none in anyone else.”

“When it came to picking schools, Ricky told his father he didn’t want to be the big fish in a small pond,” “At the time, Texas was the biggest pond around. But what Ricky didn’t realize then”—and here Rick’s father flashes a broad smile—”was that he was going to be the biggest fish in any pond.”

1985-1986

Coach Eddie Reese- 4-1  Team wins SWc – more info to follow

At Nationals Carey and  Scoggins were National champs

1986-1987

Coach Eddie Reese 5-4 more info to follow

1986-1987-Coach Eddie Reese 10-1 more info to follow

1988-1989 – coach: Eddie Reese National Champions 8-3 more info to follow

Horns won their 9th straight SWC, winning 13 of 16 events. Andre duPlessis won the 1,650, Stackle the 200 breaststrokes, and Jacob, Anderson, Gjertsen, and Jordan won the 400 free relay.

Chris Jacobs, Shaun Jordan, Keith Anderson and Doug Gjertsen is the first Longhorn relay team  to win the 800 free in NCAA history.

Shaun Jordan and Chris Jacobs win Olympic gold. Shaun is the first Longhorn to ever win the NCAA Championship in the 100 free

Shaun Jordan Olympics 1988, 1992

Shaun Jordan is on 4 National championship teams.

Link to Shaun Jordan ‘s acceptance speech at induction to TSDHOF

http://www.tsdhof.org/shaun-jordan/

Gjertsen and Stackle each capture titles (200 backstroke and 200 breaststroke) and three UT relays finish with top honors to help Texas edge runner-up USC by 54.5 points. Of UT’s 424 points, 304 are scored by individuals and a whopping 179 are from the sophomore class. 

Doug Gjertson Olympics 1988, 1992

The versatility of Doug Gjertsen, Kirk Stackle and Chris Jacobs combine with quality depth to lead Texas to its second NCAA title.

Doug Gjertsen is the first Longhorn to ever win the NCAA Championship in the 200 free.

Kirk Stackle Olympics 1988

Kirk Stackle wins  an individual title at the NCAAs for three straight years. 

Kirk Stackle is the first Longhorn to ever win the NCAA Championship in the 200 and 100 breaststroke. 

Chris Jacobs Olympics 1988

Daniel Watters – Olympics 1988

1989- 1990 – Coach Eddie Reese National Champions

The two-time defending National Champion Longhorns did a three-peat.

The horns were 6-1 in the dual meet competition. Texas wins its 11th consecutive SWC title. Olsen, Werth, Saulnier, and Gjertsen set an American record in the 800 freestyle relay. The victory for the national championship was so large that every Longorn swimmer in the last three events could have skipped their races, and Texas still would have won.

Swimmer Kirk Stakle understands the importance of finishing second if you set a personal best time. Even though he finished 2nd in the 200, he enjoyed his moment breaking the American breaststroke record.

1989: BACK-TO-BACK
Event Champions:
– 100 freestyle
– 200 breaststroke
– 400 free relay
– 800 free relay
– 400 medley relay

Sophomore Shaun Jordan (100 freestyle) and Kirk Stackle (200 breaststroke) each captures individual titles as Texas cruises to its second straight title and finishes the 1980s with three national crowns. Doug Djertsen competes in 13 races in three days, scoring in three individual events, and anchors all four relays as the Longhorns tally 475 points to runner-up Stanford’s 396. 

The Longhorn squads in the 1990s continued on that torrid pace, winning NCAA team titles in 1990, 1991, and 1996. The Longhorns finished second at Nationals in 1992 and 1994, placed third in 1993 and 1999, and took fourth in 1995. Texas also won each of the last seven SWC crowns (1990-96). TexasSports.com

1990 – 1991 coach: Eddie Reese National Champions 6-1

Jeff Thibault, Kirk Stackle, Shaun Jordan and Doug Gjertsen set the American record in the 400 Medley.  

HORNS RING IN THE  90’s
Event Champions:
– 200 freestyle
– 100 breaststroke
– 200 free relay
– 800 free relay
– 400 medley relay

The Horns set an NCAA scoring record while winning their third-straight title, outdistancing USC 506-423. UT has 15 athletes score in 20 events, as Doug Gjertsen (200 freestyle) and Kirk Stackle (100 breaststroke) win titles and Shaun Jordan tallies three second-place finishes (50, 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly). UT wins four of five relays, setting American records in the 400 medley relay and 800 freestyle relay. Josh Davis is a freshman.

Texas was the underdog after losing to Stanford earlier in the year. They were ranked #2. Texas had 11 All-Americans on this team

Shaun Jordan, Jeff Thibault, Adam Wergh,  Doug Dickins set the American record in the 200 Medley.

1991: FOUR IN A ROW
Event Champions:
– 50 freestyle
– 100 freestyle
– 3-meter diving
– 200 free relay
– 400 free relay
– 200 medley relay
– 800 free relay

Shaun Jordan wins the  (50 freestyle/ 100 freestyle)  while UT post wins in four of five relays in route to its fourth consecutive NCAA title. The Horns win the opening event, the 200 freestyle relay, by setting an American record (1:17.89), and lead from the start to finish in taking the title with 476 points to Stanford’s runner-up total of 420. UT is  the first school since USC (1974-77) to win four straight NCAA swimming and diving crowns. 

1991-1992 – Coach Eddie Reese 4-3 Finished 2nd at the National meet.

Stanford demolished Texas at the championship meet 632 to 356. Jason Rhodes won the 3 meter dive. Jeff Thibault set a conference record in the 100 and 200 backstroke and Matt Stahlman was the SWC highpoint swimmer.

Shaun Jordan, Doug Gjertsen and Hans Dersch win Olympic Gold

Hans Dersch Olympics 1992

1992- 1993 – Coach Eddie Reese 8-0 more info to follow

1994 – Coach Eddie Reese 11-1 more info to follow

Team finishes runner-up in the NCAA and wins their 15th consecutive SWC championship. Jason Fink, Josh Davis, Chris Eckerman and Gary Hall Jr. set the American, NCAA and U.S open record in the 400 meter relay. Swimmers set 5 SWC swim records .

Josh Davis is a 23 time All American and 4 time NCAA Champion. 

Neil Walker came to UT as a freshman in 1994 and is  a huge influence on Longhorn teams for the next 14 years. Under Eddie Reese and Kris Kubik, Walker earn 25 all-American awards, back-to-back NCAA individual titles and six Big 12 conference titles. He is also a member of the 1996 NCAA championship team. He set an NCAA record in the 50-yard freestyle and swims the 100-yard back in 44.92 seconds, setting an American, U.S. Open, and NCAA record. Competing for Team USA for 10 years (1997-2007), including the 2000 & 2004 Olympic Games, Walker earns 17 gold medals, eight silver medals and one bronze medal. He is elected USA National Team captain in 2005, 2006 and 2007 during the last few years of his competitive career.     

As of 2015 Neil Walker has the fastest Longhorn time in the 100 Back.

Link to Neil Walker induction acceptance speech into TSDHOF is below

http://www.tsdhof.org/neil-walker

Jason Fink, Josh Davis, Chris Eckerman, Gary Hall, Jr set the American record in the 400 free. 

1995 – Coach Eddie Reese 8-3 more info to follow

Horns win their 16th SWC championship . Matt Hooper wins the 1,650 freestyle . It is his 8th career SWC title , the most ever by a Texas swimmer. Derek Howorth ,Marty Hubbell , and Matt Beck also win their events. 15 swimmers qualify for the NCAA meet and the Horns place 4th at the Championship meet.

1996 – coach: Eddie Reese and Matt Scoggin (Diving) National Champions

1996- 5-1 Coach Eddie Reese National Champions more info to follow

1996: A TEAM EFFORT
Event Champions:
– 200 Free Relay
** Third Team In History To Win Team Championship With No Individual Titles **

Texas took an early lead with a victory in the 200 freestyle relay, and never looks back as UT is the only team to score in every swimming event. The Horns did not win an individual event, but earn five silver medals to demonstrate a strong team effort. Only the 1948 Michigan and 1983 Florida squads  pulled off the winless feat before. The Longhorns defeat Auburn 479-443.5, and in defending the “home pool,” made the phrase “Our Home, Our Pool, Our Title,” a reality once again. 

Matt Scoggins Diving coach 1996 to present more info to follow

Brad Bridgewater, Josh Davis, and Gary Hall win Olympic Gold

Josh Davis is a 23 time All American and 4 time NCAA Champion. 

Josh Davis- Olympics 1996

1997 – Coach Eddie Reese 5-4 more info to follow

As of 2015 Neil Walker has the fastest Longhorn time in the 100 Back.

1998 – Coach Eddie Reese 7-2 more info to follow

Gary Hall Olympics 1996, 2000, 2004

1999 – Coach Eddie Reese 6-2 more info to follow

2000 – coach: Eddie Reese and Matt Scoggin National Champions

10-0 more info to follow

2000: RETURN TO GLORY
Event Champions:
– 100 backstroke
– 1-meter diving
– 3-meter diving
– 800 free relay
– 200 medley relay
– 400 medley relay

Jaimie Rauch Olympian 2000

Aaron Peirson Olympics 2000, 2004, 2008

2005-Aaron Peirsol is USA Swimming Athlete of the the Year.

He turns pro after just two years at Texas but still wins 6 NCAA championships and 11 All American honors. 

As of 2015 Aaron Peirsol has the fastest Longhorn time in the 200 Back.

Tommy Hannan Olympics 2000

Troy Dumais leads  the Longhorn charge with victories on both the one- and three-meter springboards to help Texas capture its seventh NCAA title. Matt Ulrickson claims individual gold in the 100-meter backstroke. Texas relay teams also produce bringing home titles the 800-meter freestyle relay and the 200- and 400-meter medley relays. In all, the Longhorns place 29 swimmers and divers in individual-event finals to score 538 points and finish 153 points ahead of second place Auburn (385). 

Ian Crocker, Gary Hall, Tommy Hannan, and Neil Walker win Olympic Gold