Jim Hilliard, Piper Wagner, Coach Reese and Coach Kubick

Texaslsn.org is a tax exempt, free, educational, and insightful vista into the History of Longhorn Sports .

Author Dick Baird wrote an article in 2003 stating: a team bond as young men is a powerful force in character development. Team members learn that sacrificing for a more significant cause; then yourself requires an emotional investment in others. As a team member, you never question anything about each other. It’s an understood respect. He/she is my teammate. “We will always be on the same team.” “Years from now, all players will realize the experience was what it was all about — sort of like it’s not the destination, but the important journey. ” Along the way, bonds are created that last a lifetime.

COACHES ARE PEOPLE TOO

Piper Wagner, a Longhorn golfer from 1987-1992, reflects on an epiphany moment with Coach Weis that forever changed her perception of coaches. A story that many former UT student-athletes including myself will understand.

A friend of Coach Weiss had passed away, and Piper went over to Coach and said: “I’m sorry about your friend, Coach.” Piper said Coach Weiss’s eyes teared up, and Coach could not speak, so Coach touched her heart with her hand.

Piper said, “I was shocked to see her (Coach Weis) that way. In college, all I thought about was me. People like Coach, they weren’t real people. Looking back on it now, it is so strange! We were just kids, completely self-centered. I certainly didn’t think about her having a life outside of coaching our team. ”

Piper’s comments are very insightful and reflect many coach/student-athlete relationships. I experienced the same epiphany with Coach Royal after he suffered some family tragedies. It was such a surprise for me to see him grieving. Like Piper- as a young, self-centered person- I finally realized that my coach was also a feeling caring person.

Piper Wagner passed away of cancer in August of 2014

Eddie Reese and Kris Kubik Legacies transcend the sport they have dominated for so long. Their accomplishments will never be equaled in any other college sports. In the Que are some of their Longhorn sports accomplishments. (not enough room to share all of them (:)

To learn more about the Longhorn swimming network please visit WWW.WETSwim.org.

The Erwin Longhorn Swimming Awards 45th annual reunion was the biggest and best as they celebrated 88 years of Longhorn Swimming and Diving.