Bob Bowman made it clear that when the opportunity arose to be the head coach at the University of Texas, it was an something he simply couldn’t turn down.
Bowman holds the Longhorns swimming & diving program in the highest regard, the gold standard in the sport, and he reiterated that sentiment when speaking to his athletes recently as the NCAA season inches closer to kicking off.
In a clip of his speech to his swimmers posted on Instagram, Bowman said when he first arrived in Austin the night it was announced he took the job (April 1), 48 hours after winning the NCAA title with Arizona State, he got to his hotel room and put on every piece of Texas gear he was given by the team.
“I went up to my room…it was 10 o’clock, it was late. I put on every piece of clothing in that bag and looked at myself in the mirror. Because for my entire time in swimming, this stood for the best (pointing to the Longhorn logo on his shirt).
“We wear it everyday…this is your experience but the people who came from the outside (referring to himself and his coaches), this is our dream. So I want you to remember that when you put it on…what it stands for. Not only to you but to everybody out there. And there’s a lot to live up to when you put this on.”
Bowman will lead the men’s team into a new era in 2024-25, as the Longhorns join the SEC after an unprecedented run of dominance in the Big 12 under longtime head coach Eddie Reese, who retired after the end of last season.
After a long run of first or second-place finishes at NCAAs, the Texas men fell to third in 2023 and then were seventh in 2024. Bowman comes in with work to do, but his appointment attracted a lot top-tier transfers who will provide immediate help to the team, headlined by Hubert Kos, who was one of the stars under Bowman at ASU.
