Randy Reese
Encyclopedia
Randy Reese is an American college and Olympic
swimming
coach. Reese is best known for coaching the Florida Gators swimming and diving teams to four national championships, and coaching the winners of eighteen Olympic gold
, eight silver
and eight bronze medal
s. Reese is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
.
in 1946. He attended Mainland High School
in Daytona Beach, and was a member of the Mainland Buccaneers swim team. After graduating from Mainland, he attended Florida State University
in Tallahassee, Florida
, where he swam for coach Bim Stultz's Florida State Seminoles
swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) competition from 1965 to 1967. In college, Reese was primarily an individual medley
swimmer. During his senior
year at Florida State, he was diagnosed with a heart murmur
and switched from swimming to coaching Stultz's freshman team, and Reese discovered his life's calling.
in Jacksonville, Florida
, where he also coached the Amateur Athletics Union (AAU) team J.E.T.S. from 1969 to 1971. In 1971, Bolles' rival prep school, Episcopal High School
, enticed Reese to become the head coach of its men's and women's swimming and diving teams. Under Reese, the Episcopal men's team won the high school national championship title.
named Reese as the new head coach of both the Gators men's and women's swimming and diving teams. Over the following fourteen seasons, Reese's Gators men's team posted a dual meet record of 100–21 (.826), and his Gators women's team compiled a record of 118–7 (.944), both among the best in NCAA swimming history. His Gators men's and women's teams each won two national university championship team titles; the women in 1979 and 1982, and the men in 1983 and 1984. His women swimmers won seventy-six AIAW and NCAA individual titles. Seventy-nine of his Gators women garnered more than 500 All-American honors and sixty of his Gators men earned more than 200 All-American honors. He was the NCAA Women's Coach of the Year in 1982 and 1988, and the NCAA Men's Coach of the Year in 1984 and 1985. Reese earned a total of ten SEC Coach of the Year awards—seven for the men's team in 1979, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1990 and three for the women's team in 1987, 1988 and 1990.
Reese developed a reputation for his innovative theories on training and nutrition, many of which are used by top American coaches. Over the years, he employed such unusual training methods as having his Florida Gators swimmers swim upstream in the nearby Ichetucknee River
, do training workouts fully clothed, crawl their way up the entrance ramp of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
on their hands with wheels attached to their ankles, and swim with a waist belt attached to a pulley and weights. Reese's creative ideas included his invention of special arm paddles to create water resistance while correcting the motion of his swimmer's strokes.
After fourteen seasons as the head coach of the Florida Gators swimming and diving teams, Reese resigned in 1990—first announcing that he would relinquish the helm of the women's team in January, and then control of the men's team in April.
His U.S. Swimming team, Florida Aquatic Swim Team (FAST) and Holmes Lumber Aquatic Swim Team were among the best in United States club history and collectively won fourteen national team championships. Reese's individual swimmers set sixteen world records, including five world records by Tracy Caulkins
, four by Rowdy Gaines
, two by each of Martin López-Zubero
, Craig Beardsley
and Dara Torres
, and one by Duncan Armstrong
.
Reese retired from full-time coaching in 1990 and accepted a position as the regional president of Teamstaff Companies, Inc., which directed and trained leasing and sales brokers. In 1996, he started his own company, Peak Mortgage Company, as principal and chief executive officer. Reese's retirement from coaching did not last long, and he later became the head coach at Circle C Ranch Swim Team—which later merged with Texas Aquatics to form Longhorn Aquatics, co-coached by his brother Eddie. Reese has authored several swimming journal articles, co-authored the book A Scientific Approach to the Sport of Swimming with John Troup, and published a second book Building a Championship Season with Randy Reese. He is currently the director of aquatics for the Clearwater Aquatics Team in Clearwater, Florida
.
(ISHOF) as an "honor coach" in 2005. Reese's older brother, Eddie Reese
, who is also a long-time university and Olympic swimming coach, was inducted into the ISHOF in 2002.
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
coach. Reese is best known for coaching the Florida Gators swimming and diving teams to four national championships, and coaching the winners of eighteen Olympic gold
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
, eight silver
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
and eight bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
s. Reese is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
International Swimming Hall of Fame
The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of swimming in the United States and around...
.
Early life and education
Randy Reese was born in Daytona Beach, FloridaDaytona Beach, Florida
Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city has a population of 64,211. Daytona Beach is a principal city of the Deltona – Daytona Beach – Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the census bureau estimated had...
in 1946. He attended Mainland High School
Mainland High School
Mainland High School is a public high school located in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is attended by 1,979 students of grades nine through twelve. The mascot is a Buccaneer and strongly resembles the old logo of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.-Daytona Public School:...
in Daytona Beach, and was a member of the Mainland Buccaneers swim team. After graduating from Mainland, he attended Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
in Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
, where he swam for coach Bim Stultz's Florida State Seminoles
Florida State Seminoles
The Florida State Seminoles are the men's and women's sports teams of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State participates in the NCAA's Division I . FSU joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1991, and competes in the Atlantic Division in any sports split into a...
swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) competition from 1965 to 1967. In college, Reese was primarily an individual medley
Medley swimming
Medley is a combination of four different swimming styles into one race. This race is either swum by one swimmer as individual medley or by four swimmers as a medley relay...
swimmer. During his senior
Senior (education)
Senior is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the 4th year of study .-High school:...
year at Florida State, he was diagnosed with a heart murmur
Heart murmur
Murmurs are extra heart sounds that are produced as a result of turbulent blood flow that is sufficient to produce audible noise. Most murmurs can only be heard with the assistance of a stethoscope ....
and switched from swimming to coaching Stultz's freshman team, and Reese discovered his life's calling.
High school
After graduating from Florida State in 1968, Reese accepted his first full-time position as the head coach of the men's and women's swim teams at the Bolles SchoolBolles School
The Bolles School is a private college preparatory day and boarding school in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. It has a lower school , a middle school, and a high school, spread across four campuses around the Jacksonville area, and enrolls about 1,800 students a year. The school was founded in 1933 as...
in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, where he also coached the Amateur Athletics Union (AAU) team J.E.T.S. from 1969 to 1971. In 1971, Bolles' rival prep school, Episcopal High School
Episcopal High School of Jacksonville
Episcopal School of Jacksonville is an independent, coeducational private college preparatory school in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It was founded in 1966 by the Episcopal Diocese of Florida. The school has a middle school and a high school and enrolls about 900 students a...
, enticed Reese to become the head coach of its men's and women's swimming and diving teams. Under Reese, the Episcopal men's team won the high school national championship title.
University of Florida
When the University of Florida's long-time head coach, Bill Harlan, retired in 1976, Florida athletic director Ray GravesRay Graves
Samuel Ray Graves is a former American college and professional football player and former college football coach. He is a native of Tennessee and an alumnus of the University of Tennessee, where he played college football...
named Reese as the new head coach of both the Gators men's and women's swimming and diving teams. Over the following fourteen seasons, Reese's Gators men's team posted a dual meet record of 100–21 (.826), and his Gators women's team compiled a record of 118–7 (.944), both among the best in NCAA swimming history. His Gators men's and women's teams each won two national university championship team titles; the women in 1979 and 1982, and the men in 1983 and 1984. His women swimmers won seventy-six AIAW and NCAA individual titles. Seventy-nine of his Gators women garnered more than 500 All-American honors and sixty of his Gators men earned more than 200 All-American honors. He was the NCAA Women's Coach of the Year in 1982 and 1988, and the NCAA Men's Coach of the Year in 1984 and 1985. Reese earned a total of ten SEC Coach of the Year awards—seven for the men's team in 1979, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1990 and three for the women's team in 1987, 1988 and 1990.
Reese developed a reputation for his innovative theories on training and nutrition, many of which are used by top American coaches. Over the years, he employed such unusual training methods as having his Florida Gators swimmers swim upstream in the nearby Ichetucknee River
Ichetucknee River
The Ichetucknee River is a spring-fed, pristine river in North Central Florida. The entire of the river average wide, deep and most of the 6 miles lie within the boundaries of the Ichetucknee Springs State Park while the rest is to the south of US Highway 27...
, do training workouts fully clothed, crawl their way up the entrance ramp of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field is the football stadium for the University of Florida and the home field of the university's Florida Gators football team. It is located on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. The stadium was originally built in 1930, and has been regularly...
on their hands with wheels attached to their ankles, and swim with a waist belt attached to a pulley and weights. Reese's creative ideas included his invention of special arm paddles to create water resistance while correcting the motion of his swimmer's strokes.
After fourteen seasons as the head coach of the Florida Gators swimming and diving teams, Reese resigned in 1990—first announcing that he would relinquish the helm of the women's team in January, and then control of the men's team in April.
U.S. Olympic and other national teams
Reese was selected as the assistant U.S. coach for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and the 1988 Seoul Olympics, as well as the 1979 Pan American Games and the 1987 Pan Pacific Games.His U.S. Swimming team, Florida Aquatic Swim Team (FAST) and Holmes Lumber Aquatic Swim Team were among the best in United States club history and collectively won fourteen national team championships. Reese's individual swimmers set sixteen world records, including five world records by Tracy Caulkins
Tracy Caulkins
Tracy Anne Caulkins Stockwell, OAM, is a former American college and international swimmer, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and a former world record-holder....
, four by Rowdy Gaines
Rowdy Gaines
Ambrose Gaines IV is a former American swimmer, U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame member, Olympic three-time gold medalist, and member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame...
, two by each of Martin López-Zubero
Martin López-Zubero
Martín López-Zubero Purcell , also known as Martin Zubero, is a former college and international swimmer who was an Olympic gold medalist. López-Zubero was born in the United States, swam in international competition for Spain, and holds dual Spanish-American citizenship.- Family background...
, Craig Beardsley
Craig Beardsley
Craig Russell Beardsley is a former American college and international swimmer. Although he was the then-current world record-holder in the 200-meter butterfly event and qualified as a member of the ill-fated 1980 U.S. Olympic Team, Beardsley could not compete in the Olympics because of the U.S...
and Dara Torres
Dara Torres
Dara Grace Torres is an American international swimmer and a twelve-time Olympic medalist. Torres was the first swimmer from the United States to compete in five Olympic Games , and, at age 41, the oldest swimmer ever to earn a place on the U.S. Olympic team...
, and one by Duncan Armstrong
Duncan Armstrong
Duncan John D'Arcy Armstrong, OAM, is a former Australian swimmer and Olympic gold medalist.Armstrong was a freestyle swimmer in international competition during the 1980s, who won gold in the 200-metre freestyle at the 1988 Seoul Olympics...
.
Reese retired from full-time coaching in 1990 and accepted a position as the regional president of Teamstaff Companies, Inc., which directed and trained leasing and sales brokers. In 1996, he started his own company, Peak Mortgage Company, as principal and chief executive officer. Reese's retirement from coaching did not last long, and he later became the head coach at Circle C Ranch Swim Team—which later merged with Texas Aquatics to form Longhorn Aquatics, co-coached by his brother Eddie. Reese has authored several swimming journal articles, co-authored the book A Scientific Approach to the Sport of Swimming with John Troup, and published a second book Building a Championship Season with Randy Reese. He is currently the director of aquatics for the Clearwater Aquatics Team in Clearwater, Florida
Clearwater, Florida
Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of...
.
Honors
Reese was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as an "honorary letter winner" in 1997, and the International Swimming Hall of FameInternational Swimming Hall of Fame
The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of swimming in the United States and around...
(ISHOF) as an "honor coach" in 2005. Reese's older brother, Eddie Reese
Eddie Reese
Edwin Charles "Eddie" Reese is an American college and Olympic swimming coach and former college swimmer. Reese has been the head coach of the Texas Longhorns men's swimming and diving team that represents the University of Texas in Austin, Texas since 1978, and previously served as the men's...
, who is also a long-time university and Olympic swimming coach, was inducted into the ISHOF in 2002.
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida State SeminolesFlorida State SeminolesThe Florida State Seminoles are the men's and women's sports teams of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State participates in the NCAA's Division I . FSU joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1991, and competes in the Atlantic Division in any sports split into a...
- History of the University of FloridaHistory of the University of FloridaThe history of the University of Florida is firmly tied to the history of public education in the state of Florida. The University of Florida, colloquially known as "Florida" or "UF," originated as several distinct institutions that were merged to create a single state-supported university by the...
- List of Florida State University people
- List of University of Florida Olympians
- University Athletic AssociationUniversity of Florida Athletic AssociationThe University Athletic Association, Inc. is a non-profit corporation that is responsible for maintaining the Florida Gators intercollegiate sports program of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida...