The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Men's Swimming and Diving
- Title:
- Director, Swimming and Diving / Head Coach, Men's Swimming
Bob Bowman was named Director of Swimming and Diving and Head Men’s Coach at The University of Texas in April 2024. Bowman took over a Longhorn powerhouse program built by legendary head coach Eddie Reese, who retired after 46 seasons at Texas. A Hall of Fame coach and longtime mentor of Michael Phelps, Bowman arrived in Austin after transforming the Arizona State program into a national champion over nine seasons.
In his first season leading the Longhorns, Bowman guided Texas to the program’s first Southeastern Conference Championship during the program’s inaugural season in the league. Texas later captured the NCAA team title, marking the program’s 16th national title and Bowman’s second career NCAA title as a collegiate head coach. Additionally, Bowman was named the 2025 SEC Head Coach of the Year.
During the 2025-26 season, Texas captured its second-consecutive SEC Championship while extending the program’s conference championship streak to 47 consecutive seasons. The Longhorns continued their tradition of excellence on the national stage while producing multiple All-America performances and record-breaking swims throughout the season.
Bowman became 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 an NCAA-leading 15 national team championships, 13 NCAA runner-up finishes and 36 top-three finishes at the NCAA Championships. Texas won 45 consecutive conference championships under Reese and has since extended that streak to 47 consecutive seasons. Reese serves in a coach emeritus role for the Texas Swimming and Diving program.
Bowman has also enjoyed one of the most decorated international coaching careers in the history of the sport. He is the longtime coach of Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history with 23 gold medals. Bowman served as the head men’s coach for Team USA at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and previously worked as an assistant coach at the 2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympic Games. Working alongside Reese, who served as Team USA’s head coach in 2004 and 2008, Bowman helped Phelps claim eight total medals, including six gold and two bronze, at the 2004 Olympic Games. Four years later at the 2008 Games, Phelps won eight Olympic gold medals, a feat never before accomplished in a single Olympiad.
A veteran collegiate head coach with 13 years of experience, Bowman arrived at Texas after spending nine seasons transforming Arizona State University into one of the top men’s swimming and diving programs in the country. He served as the head men’s and women’s swimming coach at ASU beginning in 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 to the national title for the first time in program history at the 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 while setting three NCAA records and nine school records. A total of 14 Sun Devil athletes earned All-America honors during the four-day meet.
The Sun Devils also won their second-consecutive Pac-12 Championship in 2024 by a margin of 303 points, marking the second-highest margin of victory in conference history and the largest 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 placed 24th in the final team standings at the 2024 NCAA Championship, marking the program’s 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 freestyle relay team also earned second-team All-America honors. The ASU women set three school records during the NCAA Championship meet in the 200 back, 800 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay.
Bowman guided the Sun Devil men to a historic 2022-23 season, 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 while setting NCAA records in each event. The Sun Devil men also captured the first Pac-12 Championship in program history, winning nine individual and relay titles and breaking eight school records.
Bowman guided Arizona State to a No. 1 national ranking by the CSCAA (College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America) in December 2022, the first top ranking in program history. Marchand earned Pac-12 Swimmer of the Year and CSCAA Division I Swimmer of the Year honors for the second consecutive season. Jonny Kulow claimed Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors, becoming the fourth Sun Devil swimmer under Bowman to earn the award. On the women’s side, Looney became the fourth swimmer of the Bowman era to win a Pac-12 individual title with victories in the 200 fly and 500 free. She later earned first-team All-America honors with a fourth-place finish in the 200 fly at the NCAA Championship.
Bowman and his staff opted to redshirt the entire roster during the 2020-21 season while prioritizing the health and safety of the student-athletes amid COVID-19. After a year of training, the Sun Devil men finished third at the Pac-12 Championship and sixth at the NCAA Championship in 2022, marking the program’s highest conference finish in 27 years and its best national finish in 40 years. As a freshman, Marchand won the 200 IM in NCAA-record time and the 200 breast at the national meet while earning Pac-12 Men’s Swimmer and Freshman of the Year honors. Bowman was named SwimSwam National Coach of the Year. Arizona State’s women finished sixth at the Pac-12 Championship and 26th at the NCAA Championships in 2021-22, highlighted by Erica Laning’s conference title in the 500 free.
Bowman served as Chief Operating Officer and Head Coach for the North Baltimore Aquatic Club 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 Olympic medals, including three gold, at the 2012 Olympic Games 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 in 2007 and 2008, he led the Wolverines to top-eight finishes at the NCAA Championship in each of his four seasons. Michigan finished sixth nationally in both 2005 and 2008 and captured the Big Ten Conference title in 2008. During his time in Ann Arbor, Bowman coached three swimmers to six NCAA individual titles: Davis Tarwater (200 fly, 2005 and 2006), Peter Vanderkaay (500 free, 2005 and 2006) and Alex Vanderkaay (400 IM, 2007 and 2008). Michigan posted a 30-8-1 overall dual-meet record during his tenure, including a 21-1-1 mark against conference opponents.
Bowman spent a previous nine-year stretch from 1996-2004 at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club, where he began coaching Phelps. During that time, he helped produce three individual national champions, 10 national finalists and five U.S. National Team members. Under Bowman’s guidance, Phelps won five World Championship gold medals and was named Swimming World’s American Swimmer of the Year four consecutive years from 2001-04.
A native of Columbia, South Carolina, 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 from 1983-85 and served as a team captain during his final season.
Bowman began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Florida State and also worked with the Area Tallahassee Aquatic Club in 1986-87. He later held assistant coaching positions with the Las Vegas Gold swim team from 1988-90, the Cincinnati Pepsi Marlins from 1990-91 and the Napa Valley Swim Team from 1991-92. Bowman served as the head coach and program director for the Birmingham Swim League from 1992-94 and later as the head coach for the Napa Valley Swim Team from 1994-97.
A 2010 inductee into the American Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Bowman is a five-time ASCA Coach of the Year and the most honored coach in the more than 40-year history of the award. He has earned USA Swimming Coach of the Year honors six times, the USA Swimming Foundation Golden Goggle Award four times and was named the 2002 USA Swimming Developmental Coach of the Year.
Bowman served as the U.S. men’s head coach at the 2007, 2009 and 2013 FINA World Championships and as an assistant coach at the 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2011 World Championships. Swimmers coached by Bowman have set 43 world records and more than 50 American records.
Bowman is heavily involved in community-driven swimming initiatives, including his work with the Michael Phelps Foundation and its signature program, “im,” which provides underserved children with water safety education, recreational aquatic activities and goal-setting programming. Bowman serves as a board member for the foundation, which currently implements the program through Boys & Girls Clubs of America in 29 states and through Special Olympics teams in 34 countries.
