AUSTIN, Texas — Legendary University of Texas Men's Swimming and Diving Head Coach Eddie Reese plans to officially retire following the conclusion of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Swimming in late June, the University announced on Friday. A national search will begin for his successor at the conclusion of the NCAA Championship season in March. 

Reese, who is beginning his 46th season at Texas in 2023-24, has 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 has earned 43-consecutive top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships and won 44 straight conference titles. 

"Where we are today and where I am today is made possible by everyone who has swum here before and is swimming here now," Reese said. "They are the reasons behind the success of this program. When people get together with the mindset of accomplishing something, even though it is tough during that year in time, it adds up to something truly amazing. I want to thank those guys who trusted me, did all the hard workouts and made the sacrifices in and out of the water.

"Working with swimmers has been one of the true joys of my life," Reese continued. "In my life, I've discovered that the most important thing for us to do in this world is help others, whether it be for something simple or complex. It has been an honor for me to be a part of this program."

Hired in 1978 by Longhorn Legend Darrell K Royal, who at the time was Athletics Director, Reese is the only swimming coach to win NCAA team titles in five separate decades (1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s). Reese claimed his first NCAA Championship in 1981, and his 15 national championships are tied for the seventh-most by any coach, in any sport, in NCAA history. 

Reese led Texas to the Southwest Conference Championship in 1980 and went on to register 17 straight SWC titles. When the Longhorns joined the Big 12 Conference and Swimming & Diving competition commenced in 1997, Reese dominated that league, too, winning all of the 27 championship meets to date. 

"Eddie Reese is truly the greatest coach ever," said UT Vice President and Athletics Director Chris Del Conte. "His records speak for themselves, but the way he led his program, trained and prepared his student-athletes to perform at their best in the pool and all facets of their lives, is just exemplary and extraordinary. Nobody has or will ever do it better."

An eight-time NCAA Coach of the Year, four-time College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) National Coach of the Year and four-time American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) Coach of the Year, Reese's Longhorns have won 75 NCAA individual titles and 55 relay crowns through the completion of the 2022-23 season. The program's outdoor pool facility, located just outside of the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center, opened in August 2020 and was named in his honor. 

"To coach swimming well, it cannot be a job. It's got to be a lifestyle," Reese said. "In reality, I haven't had a job for the 58 years that I've coached. It has been an incredible part of my life. And the incredible part has had nothing to do with winning and losing. It has to do with the people that I've been lucky enough to be around. They have kept me young, and they showed great acceptance by continuing to laugh at my bad jokes. For those who add to the program, from the parents of the swimmers to compliance to academics to nutrition to the training room, and to The University of Texas, this could not have been accomplished without your contributions."

Three-time head coach of the U.S. Olympic men's swimming team (1992, 2004, 2008), Reese has coached 29 Longhorn Olympians who have collected 63 medals (39 gold, 16 silver, eight bronze). He is a member of the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor, Texas Sports Hall of Fame and the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF). 

Reese came to Texas after a remarkable six-year (1972-78) rebuilding job at Auburn University that culminated in four straight Top-10 finishes, including a second-place showing in 1978. A 1963 graduate of Florida, Reese led the Gators to three SEC titles (1961, 1962, 1963). As the team's co-captain as a senior, he became the first Florida swimmer to win five SEC titles in a single career. He remained at Florida as graduate assistant coach while earning his master's degree. Reese went on to serve as a high school teacher and coach at Roswell (N.M.) High School for two years (1965-66) before returning to Florida as an assistant coach for six seasons (1967-72). 

The 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Swimming are slated for June 15-23, 2024 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Reese and his wife, Elinor, have two daughters, Holly and Heather, and four grandchildren. 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 dogs, Red and Pearl.