Eddie Reese, the only college swimming coach to win NCAA team titles in four separate decades, has established a tradition of excellence in Austin and set the standard in collegiate swimming through his 40 years at Texas. A three-time United States Men's Olympic Team head coach, Reese is the winningest coach in the sport's history with 14 NCAA team titles, a figure that also positions Texas as the winningest NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving program.
Reese was the American Swim Coaches' Association (ASCA) Coach of the Year in 2009, 2006, 2005 and 1991. In 1991, he earned the National Collegiate Scholar and Swimming Trophy from the College Swimming Coaches Association (CSCA). The trophy, which is the highest honor bestowed by the CSCA, recognizes a coach's overall contribution to the sport over an extended period of time and is reserved for an individual who has represented both collegiate athletics and swimming with honor and pride throughout his career. In November 1996, Reese was inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor, which recognizes former athletes, coaches and staff members "who have brought honor and renown to The University of Texas." Reese was voted directly into the Hall of Honor as a special exception to the rule, which stipulates that a coach or staff member must be retired five years before consideration.
He was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco on Feb. 12, 2002. Just the third member of the Hall of Fame to be voted in based on swimming credentials, Reese joined an impressive list of UT alumni who have been honored, including Darrell K Royal, Roger Clemens, Earl Campbell, Tom Kite, Mack Brown and Cliff Gustafson.
The Reese honor roll culminated in May 2002, when he was elected as an honor coach and inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Reese was inducted along with eight other honorees in the Class of 2002.
Reese and his wife, Elinor, have two daughters, Holly and Heather. Holly and her husband, David Bowman, have two sons: Reese and Luke. Heather and her husband, Travis Ormond, have one daughter, Evan, and one son, Beck. An avid fisher and hunter, Reese also has a soft spot for the family dog, Reagan.