The Golden Goggle Awards has always been a boon for the US swimming realm. It has seen some of the most revered figures coming to the forefront. Starting from 2004, the ceremony spots and honors the swimmers who have made the USA proud with their extraordinary achievements. Along similar lines, this year’s ceremony witnessed an Olympic swimming coach being honored for his contribution to American swimming.

Eddie Reese leads the Texas Longhorns men’s swimming and diving team that represents the University of Texas. Reese, who is on his 46th session at Texas in the 2023-24 session, has been instrumental in the Longhorns’ record of an NCAA-leading 15 national team championships. This remarkable contribution earned him the Impact Award at this year’s ceremony.

Eddie Reese honored for his ‘impact’ in swimming

On November 20, the 20th edition of the Golden Goggle Awards was held at JW Marriott at LA Live. In a star-studded ceremony, Eddie Reese received the honor amid a huge round of applause. The doting coach spoke about how he loves swimming, and it has always been a lifestyle rather than a job for him. In a display of humility, he said after receiving the award, “Awards are not really my thing. You guys are my thing. We’re a sport, we are the best sport in the world and we’ve got the best people in the world doing it”. Evidently, Reese himself is one of them, as shown by the records book.

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Apart from lifting championships, the Longhorns also have 13 NCAA runner-up finishes and 36 top-three finishes at the NCAA Championships in their kitty under the guidance of Reese. The team has nabbed 43 continuous top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships and has bagged 44 conference titles. With this effort, he is undoubtedly one of the most suitable people to have an impact in the swimming circle. However, on this occasion. he also took time out to speak on his retirement.

Reese stated, “I know I use the word retirement but I dropped that out of my dictionary about 10 years ago”. He had announced his retirement once after the 2021 NCAA season. However, two months ago, in September 2023, the coach announced his final retirement decision.

A life dedicated to swimming 

Eddie Reese, 82, announced to officially retire after the U.S. Olympic Trials. Expressing swimming as one of the most important parts of his life, he said, “Working with swimmers has been one of the true joys of my life”. In an ideal example of modesty, he expressed, “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”.

Read more: Tennessee Swimming Community Grieve the Loss of Head Coach’s 24-Year-Old Son

The UT Vice President and Athletics Director Chris Del Conte also called Reese the greatest coach ever. Conte expressed that Reese’s records speak for themselves and the way he has led his students and nourished them under his guidance is nothing but exemplary. The national search for his successor will begin at the conclusion of the NCAA Championship season in March.

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