The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Bowman named Director of Swimming and Diving and Head Men's Coach at Texas
04.01.2024 | Men's Swimming and Diving
Longtime coach of Michael Phelps who transformed Arizona State into a National Championship program, Bob Bowman joins the Longhorns’ program.
AUSTIN, Texas — A Hall of Famer who served as the longtime coach of Michael Phelps and transformed the Arizona State program into a National Champion over the past nine seasons, Bob Bowman (pronounced: BOH-man) has been named Director of Swimming and Diving and Head Men's Coach at The University of Texas, Vice President and Lois and Richard Folger Athletics Director Chris Del Conte announced Monday. Bowman takes over a Longhorn powerhouse program built by the legendary Eddie Reese, who retired this year after 46 seasons at Texas.
"When we went searching for the next head coach of our Swimming and Diving program, we knew it would be challenging and that we had to find the absolute best to continue our proud tradition as the nation's premier program. We did just that with Bob Bowman, whose efforts building the Arizona State men's squad into a National Champion are truly historic and monumental," Del Conte said. "From the moment we visited with Coach Bowman about our great opportunity here, we knew he was the right person for the job. His vision and leadership skills for building a program are second-to-none, and his drive and determination to consistently succeed at the highest-level jump off the page. In addition, his track record of developing swimmers and helping them achieve their absolute best is well-documented. That includes all of his many national champions and All-Americans, and of course his prized pupil and arguably the greatest swimmer and Olympian ever, Michael Phelps. He's exceptional in every facet of the job, and we are so lucky to bring him into our Texas Athletics family. I want to thank Sarah Baumgartner (Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director for Sports Administration) for leading this search and helping us get Coach Bowman to Texas."
Bowman joins Texas in the newly-created position of Director of Swimming and Diving while also serving as head men's coach. Carol Capitani, UT's head women's coach, just led the Longhorns Women's Swimming and Diving program to a third-straight runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships. Heading into her 13th season leading the women's program, she has led the Longhorns to 12 Big 12 Championships and 10 top-10 finishes in her 12 years on the Forty Acres.
"We are so excited to have Coach Bowman join the Texas Athletics family. This new role will create great synergy in both our men's and women's programs," Del Conte added. "Coach Capitani is doing an incredible job as our women's coach and she and Coach Bowman will help us continue to build on the tradition and outstanding success of our swimming and diving squads in the years to come."
Bowman is the longtime coach of Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in any sport with 23 gold medals. Bowman served as the head men's coach for Team USA at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and worked as an assistant coach in the previous three Summer Olympics, including 2004 in Athens, 2008 in Beijing and 2012 in London. Working alongside Reese, who served as Team USA's head coach in 2004 and 2008, as the primary coach for Phelps at the 2004 Games, Bowman helped Phelps claim eight total medals, including six gold and two bronze. Four years later at the 2008 Games, Phelps won eight Olympic gold medals, a feat that had never been done before in a single Olympiad.
"I'm forever grateful for the nine years I spent at Arizona State and for the wonderful athletes, coaches, administrators and everyone who helped build our championship program," Bowman said.
"I am honored and tremendously excited to lead the most storied program in collegiate swimming and diving history, and I am fortunate to build on the greatness that Coach Eddie Reese has established," Bowman continued. "It's been a dream of mine since I was a young coach and to have it be fulfilled is an amazing thing. Taking on this new role makes sense because Texas is entering a new era, and I'm uniquely positioned to help the program move forward in an innovative and reimagined way. The University of Texas is synonymous with excellence, and everything we will do here will be held to the highest standard. We will coordinate all our efforts, utilize the best resources, the best recruiting, the best facilities and the best staff to create an environment where high performers can thrive."
"I try to help young people develop as students, as athletes and as citizens using the pool as my classroom," Bowman said. "My job is to create an atmosphere so that when an individual comes into our program and buys into the things that we ask that person to do, excellence is inevitable."
Bowman becomes just the seventh head coach in the 89-year history of the Texas Men's Swimming and Diving program, joining Tex Robertson (1935-43, 1946-50), Art Burnham (1944), Bob Bollinger (1945), Hank Chapman (1951-69), Pat Patterson (1970-78) and Eddie Reese (1979-2024). Reese, who completed his 46th season at Texas in 2023-24, guided the Longhorns to a NCAA-leading 15 national team championships, 13 NCAA-runner-up finishes and 36 top-three finishes at the NCAA Championships. Under Reese's leadership, Texas earned 44 consecutive top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships and won an unprecedented 45-straight conference titles (28 Big 12 Conference/17 Southwest Conference). Reese will serve in a coach emeritus role for the Texas Swimming and Diving program.
"We can never thank Eddie Reese enough for all he did for our program, and his name will be forever etched among the greatest coaches of all-time in any sport," Del Conte added. "His legacy is truly amazing, as is the rich and storied history he established in leading our Men's Swimming and Diving program to 15 National Championships. We're excited to begin the next chapter of our iconic program under the leadership of a veteran, proven winner in Coach Bowman. We know he's the perfect fit for us to make that transition and continue to be the nation's leader in swimming and diving."
A veteran of 13 years of head coaching experience at the collegiate level, Bowman takes over at Texas after spending the past nine seasons transforming Arizona State University into one of the top men's swimming and diving programs in the country. He has served as the head men's and women's swimming coach at ASU since the 2015-16 season.
When Bowman took over in Tempe, the Sun Devil men were coming off a fifth-place showing at the Pac-12 Championship and did not score at the NCAA Championship meet in 2015. Arizona State had not finished in the top-three at the Pac-12 meet since a second-place showing in 1995 and only had five top-three finishes at the conference meet since 1980. At the national level, ASU had never earned a team trophy (top four) at the NCAA Championship and had not finished higher than sixth place at the national meet when the Sun Devils accomplished that in 1982.
Bowman guided the Sun Devil men's team to the national title for the first time in program history at the recently-completed 2024 NCAA Championship. Arizona State posted a dominant 79-point victory (523.5-444.5) over runner-up California at the national meet, winning seven individual or relay titles and setting three NCAA records and nine school records. A total of 14 Sun Devil athletes received All-America honors during the four-day meet.
The Sun Devils also won their second-straight Pac-12 Championship in 2024 by a margin of 303 points, marking the second-highest margin of victory in conference history and most since California in 1995. ASU captured 16 individual and relay titles, broke 11 school records and set three NCAA records during its run to the Pac-12 Championship.
The Sun Devil women's team placed 24th in the final team standings at the 2024 NCAA Championship, marking the highest finish in five years (20th in 2019). Lindsay Looney claimed first-team All-America honors in the 200 fly and second-team All-America recognition in the 500 free, while the 800 free relay team also earned second-team All-America accolades. The ASU women set three school records (200 back, 800 free relay, 400 free relay) during the 2024 NCAA Championship meet.
Bowman guided the Sun Devil men's team to a historic season in 2022-23, winning the Pac-12 title and finishing second at the NCAA Championship. Léon Marchand won the 200 IM, 200 breast and 400 IM at the national meet, setting NCAA records in each event. The Sun Devil men also won their first Pac-12 Championship in program history, capturing nine individual and relay titles and breaking eight school records.
Bowman guided the Sun Devils to a No. 1 ranking in the nation for the first time in school history by the CSCAA (College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America) in December 2022. Marchand claimed Pac-12 Swimmer of the Year and CSCAA Division I Swimmer of the Year honors for the second consecutive season. Jonny Kulow earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Year accolades, becoming the fourth Sun Devil under Bowman's tutelage to win the award. On the women's side, Looney became the fourth women's swimmer of the Bowman era to earn a Pac-12 individual title with wins in both the 200 fly and 500 free. She went on to earn first-team All-America honors with a fourth-place showing in the 200 fly at the NCAA Championship meet.
Bowman and his staff opted to redshirt the entire roster during the 2020-21 season, promoting the health and safety of the student-athletes amid COVID-19. After a year of meticulous training, the Sun Devil men took third at the Pac-12 Championship and sixth at the NCAA Championship meet in 2022. This marked the highest conference finish in 27 years and the top finish at the NCAA meet in 40 years. Prior to the sixth-place finish in 2022, the Sun Devils had not recorded a top-10 finish at nationals since a 10th-place result in 2003. As a freshman, Marchand won the 200 IM (NCAA-record time) and 200 breast at the national meet and claimed Pac-12 Men's Swimmer and Freshman of the Year honors. Bowman was named SwimSwam's National Coach of the Year. ASU's women took sixth at the Pac-12 Championship meet and 26th at nationals in 2021-22, highlighted by Erica Laning's conference title in the 500 free.
Bowman served as the Chief Operating Officer and Head Coach for the North Baltimore Aquatic Club in Baltimore, Md. from 2008 to 2015. During that time, he oversaw a number of high-performance swimmers and Olympic medalists. In addition to Phelps, Bowman guided Allison Schmitt to five medals, including three gold, at the 2012 Olympics, and coached 13-time international medalist Conor Dwyer.
Bowman worked as the Head Men's Swimming and Diving Coach at the University of Michigan for four seasons (2005-08). A two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year (2007 and 2008), he led the Wolverines to top-eight NCAA Championship finishes in each of his four seasons in Ann Arbor. Michigan placed sixth at nationals in both 2005 and 2008 and won the Big Ten Conference title in 2008. During his time at Michigan, Bowman coached three swimmers to a total of six NCAA individual titles (Davis Tarwater, 200 fly in 2005, 200 fly in 2006; Peter Vanderkaay, 500 free in 2005, 500 free in 2006; Alex Vanderkaay, 400 IM in 2007, 400 IM in 2008). The Wolverines registered a 30-8-1 overall record in dual meets during his four seasons, including a 21-1-1 mark against conference opponents.
Bowman spent a previous nine-year window (1996-2004) at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club. He helped produce three individual national champions, 10 national finalists and five U.S. National Team members. During his first stint at the NBAC, Bowman began coaching Phelps and under Bowman's guidance, Phelps won five World Championship gold medals and was named the Swimming World's American Swimmer of the Year four-straight years from 2001 to 2004.
A native of Columbia, S.C., Bowman earned a bachelor of science degree in developmental psychology and a minor in music composition from Florida State University in 1987. He swam for the Seminoles for three seasons (1983-85), serving as a team captain during his final season.
Bowman began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Florida State and served as a coach at the Area Tallahassee Aquatic Club in 1986-87. He held assistant coaching positions with the Las Vegas Gold swim team (1988-90), the Cincinnati Pepsi Marlins (1990-91) and the Napa Valley Swim Team (1991-92). Bowman was the head coach and program director for the Birmingham Swim League (1992-94) and the head coach for the Napa Valley Swim Team (1994-97).
A 2010 inductee into the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) Hall of Fame, Bowman is a five-time ASCA Coach of the Year and is the most-honored coach in the 40-plus years of the award. He has earned USA Swimming Coach of the Year honors six times, the USA Swimming Foundation's Golden Goggle Award four times and was the 2002 USA Swimming Developmental Coach of the Year.
Bowman was the U.S. men's head coach at the 2007, 2009 and 2013 FINA World Championships and an assistant coach at the 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2011 World Championships. Bowman's swimmers have set 43 world records and more than 50 American records under his guidance.
Bowman is heavily involved in a number of community-driven swim initiatives, including his work with the Michael Phelps Foundation and its signature program – "im" – that provides underserved children with water safety, recreational aquatic activities, and goal-setting programming. The Michael Phelps Foundation, for which Bowman serves as a board member, currently implements the "im" program in 35 Boys & Girls Clubs of America in 29 states as well as 160 teams through the Special Olympics in 34 countries.
Statement from Eddie Reese:
"Bob (Bowman) has had an amazing career at every level – age group, collegiate, national and international. And the best part is he just seems to be getting better. Bob is the perfect choice for this job, and I will teach him to hunt and fish, too."
Statement from Carol Capitani:
"Eddie (Reese) couldn't have been a better partner, mentor and friend these past twelve years at The University of Texas. That said, this will be an exciting new chapter with Bob (Bowman). His years of experience and expertise in our craft are huge assets, and I'm looking forward to sharing the deck with another legend, continuing the programs' tradition of swimming and diving excellence."