Bob Bowman (coach) facts for kids
Bowman with Michael Phelps in 2009
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| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Director of Swimming and Diving & Head Men’s Coach at University of Texas |
| Team | University of Texas |
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | April 6, 1965 Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Florida State University |
| Playing career | |
| 1983–1985 | Florida State |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1986–1987 |
USA Swimming: Area Tallahassee Aq. Club (AC) |
| 1988–1990 | Las Vegas Gold Swim Team (AC) |
| 1991–1992 1992–1994 |
Napa Valley Swim Team (AC) Birmingham Swim League |
| 1994–1997 | Napa Valley Swim Team |
| 1996–2005 | North Baltimore AC |
| 2008–2015 | North Baltimore AC |
1986–1987 |
NCAA: Florida State (Asst.) |
| 2005–2008 | Michigan |
| 2015–2024 | Arizona State |
| 2024– | Texas (Director; Men) |
| 2007, 09, 13 | U.S. World Championships (Men) |
| 2004, 08, 12, 16 | U.S. Olympic Team Coach |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| NCAA Division I Championship Men's Team Champions (2024) NCAA Division I Championship Men's Team Runner-Up (2023) |
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| Awards | |
| ASCA Swimming & Diving Hall of Fame Inductee (2010) 5x ASCA Coach of the Year |
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Robert Bowman, born on April 6, 1965, is a famous American swimming coach. He is currently the Director of Swimming and head coach for the men's swimming and diving teams at the University of Texas. Coach Bowman is most famous for coaching Michael Phelps, who won 23 Olympic gold medals. He also coaches French swimmer Léon Marchand.
From 2005 to 2008, Bowman was the head coach for the men's swimming and diving team at the University of Michigan. After that, he worked as the CEO and head coach of the North Baltimore Aquatic Club until 2015. He then coached at Arizona State University until 2024.
Bowman was a U.S. Olympic coach in 2004, 2008, and 2012. In 2015, USA Swimming chose him to be the head coach for the men's 2016 Olympic Team.
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Early Life and College Swimming
Robert Bowman was born and grew up in Columbia, South Carolina. He went to Columbia High School there. He has a younger sister named Donna Bowman.
Bowman swam for the Florida State Seminoles from 1983 to 1985. In his last year, he was a team captain. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in developmental psychology from Florida State in 1987. He also studied music composition.
Coaching Career Beginnings
In 1986 and 1987, Bowman started his coaching career. He coached at the Area Tallahassee Aquatic Club. He was also an assistant coach at his old university, Florida State University.
Bowman held assistant coaching jobs at other teams too. These included the Napa Valley Swim Team (1991–1992), the Cincinnati Pepsi Marlins (1990–1991), and the Las Vegas Gold swim team (1988–1990).
Leading Swim Teams
From 1992 to 1994, Bowman was the head coach and program director for the Birmingham Swim League. He was in charge of designing programs, training staff, and running the daily activities for 250 club members. Under his leadership, the Birmingham Swim League became one of the top five programs in its region. Before he arrived, it had been outside the top 20 for ten years.
From 1994 to 1997, Bowman was the head coach for the Napa Valley Swim Team.
Success at North Baltimore Aquatic Club
Bowman coached for nine years (1996–2004) at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club (NBAC) in Baltimore, Maryland. From 1996 to 1999, he was a senior coach. From 1999 to 2004, he was NBAC's High Performance Coach. During his time there, Bowman helped train three national champions and five U.S. National Team members. Because of his achievements, he was named the USA's Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2003. He also won Developmental Coach of the Year in 2002.
It was at NBAC that Bowman began coaching Michael Phelps. Under Bowman's guidance, Phelps won five World Championship gold medals. Phelps was also named the American Swimmer of the Year from 2001 to 2004.
Head Coach at University of Michigan
At the University of Michigan, Bowman worked closely with Greg Harden. Harden was the sport administrator for swimming. He often talked with both Bowman and Phelps before the 2008 Olympics. Harden helped them communicate better. Bowman credits Harden for some of Team USA's success in Beijing. He also said Harden helped him decide to coach at Michigan. Bowman called Harden "a miracle worker" and said he made him "a better coach, and a better person."
In April 2008, Bowman announced he would leave Michigan. He returned to the North Baltimore Aquatic Club after the Beijing Olympics.
Olympic Coaching Achievements
Bowman was an assistant coach for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team. He was the main coach for Michael Phelps. At the 2004 Games, Bowman helped Phelps win eight medals. These included six gold medals and two bronze. Four years later, at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he coached Phelps to win eight Olympic gold medals. This was a record, as no one had ever done it in a single Olympics before.
Bowman was also an assistant coach for the 2012 London Olympics U.S. Olympic Team. On September 9, 2015, USA Swimming announced that Bowman would be the head coach of the men's team for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team.
Coaching at Arizona State University
Bowman became the swim coach at Arizona State University in 2015. In March 2023, Bowman led the ASU Men's swimming and diving team to win their first Pac-12 Conference Championship. Later that month, the ASU Men's team finished second at the NCAA Division I championships.
The next year, in 2024, Bowman led the ASU men's team to win their second Pac-12 Conference Championship. Later that season, they won their first NCAA team title at the 2024 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming & Diving Championships.
New Role at University of Texas
On April 1, 2024, Bowman was named the Director of Swimming and Diving and head men's swimming and diving coach at the University of Texas. In this job, Bowman directly coaches the men's team. He also works with the head women's coach, Carol Capitani, and diving coach, Matt Scoggin. Together, they oversee the entire swimming and diving program at Texas.
Coaching for Team France
Since 2021, Bowman has coached the talented French swimmer Léon Marchand. Bowman started working with Marchand after Marchand sent him an email asking to join his swim team at ASU. Bowman did not know Marchand at first, but agreed to coach him after seeing his swim times. Marchand swam at ASU for three years, helping the team win a national title. He then followed Bowman to Texas.
With Bowman as his coach, Marchand became one of the best swimmers in the world. Bowman began coaching for both Team USA and Team France. He helped coach France at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Hungary. Then he returned as head coach for the U.S. at the 2023 World Championships in Japan. There, Marchand set a world record in the 400 individual medley, beating Phelps' time from 2008.
In 2024, Bowman returned to Team France as a coach. At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, he cheered from the sidelines wearing a "France" shirt. Marchand won four gold medals at those Olympics. At the same time, Bowman continued to train several American Olympians. He also coached Hungarian gold medalist Hubert Kós.
Books Written by Bob Bowman
- The Golden Rules: 10 Steps to World-Class Excellence in Your Life and Work. Bob Bowman, with Charles Butler (2016), St. Martin's Press.
