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) |
2001, 03, 05, 11 |
Team USA/International: U.S. World Championships (Men; Asst.) |
| 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 "Bob" Bowman (born April 6, 1965) is a famous American swimming coach. He is best known for coaching Michael Phelps, who won 23 Olympic gold medals. More recently, he has coached French swimmer Léon Marchand.
Currently, Bowman is the Director of Swimming and head men's coach for the Longhorns swimming and diving teams at the University of Texas. Before this, he coached at the University of Michigan and Arizona State University. He has also been a coach for the U.S. Olympic Team multiple times.
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About Bob Bowman
Bob Bowman was born and grew up in Columbia, South Carolina. He went to Columbia High School. He has a younger sister named Donna Bowman.
College Swimming Career
Before becoming a coach, Bowman was a swimmer himself. He swam for the Florida State Seminoles from 1983 to 1985. In his last year, he was a team captain. He earned a degree in developmental psychology and also studied music.
Early Coaching Days
Bowman started his coaching career in 1986. He worked as an assistant coach at his old school, Florida State University. He also coached at the Area Tallahassee Aquatic Club.
He held assistant coaching jobs with several teams. These included the Napa Valley Swim Team, the Cincinnati Pepsi Marlins, and the Las Vegas Gold swim team.
Leading Swim Teams
From 1992 to 1994, Bowman was the head coach for the Birmingham Swim League. He was in charge of the team's training plans and staff. Under his leadership, the team greatly improved its regional ranking.
He then returned to the Napa Valley Swim Team. He served as their head coach from 1994 to 1997.
Coaching at North Baltimore Aquatic Club
Bowman spent nine years coaching at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club (NBAC) in Maryland. He was a senior coach and later the High Performance Coach. During this time, his swimmers won many national titles. Several also became members of the U.S. National Team. Because of his success, he was named USA's Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2003.
It was at NBAC that Bowman began coaching Michael Phelps. Under Bowman's guidance, Phelps won five World Championship gold medals. He was also named the American Swimmer of the Year for several years.
Head Coach at University of Michigan
From 2005 to 2008, Bowman was the head coach for the men's swimming and diving team at the University of Michigan. He worked closely with Greg Harden, a sports administrator. Harden helped Bowman and Phelps communicate better, especially before the 2008 Olympics. Bowman credits Harden with helping him become a better coach and person.
In 2008, Bowman decided to leave Michigan. He returned to the North Baltimore Aquatic Club after the Beijing Olympics.
Olympic Coaching for Team USA
Bowman has played a big role in coaching the U.S. Olympic Swim Team.
- 2004 Olympics: He was an assistant coach for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team. He was the main coach for Michael Phelps. At the 2004 Games, Phelps won eight medals, including six gold.
- 2008 Olympics: At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Bowman coached Phelps to an amazing eight Olympic gold medals. This was a record for the most gold medals won by an athlete in a single Olympics.
- 2012 Olympics: He was again an assistant coach for the U.S. team at the 2012 London Olympics.
- 2016 Olympics: In 2015, USA Swimming chose Bowman to be the head coach for the men's team at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team.
Coaching at Arizona State University
In 2015, Bowman became the swim coach at Arizona State University (ASU).
He led the ASU Men's swimming and diving team to their first ever Pac-12 Conference Championship in March 2023. Later that month, the team finished second at the NCAA Division I championships.
The next year, in 2024, Bowman led the ASU men's team to another Pac-12 Conference Championship. They then 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 took on a new role. He became the Director of Swimming and Diving and head men's coach at the University of Texas. In this job, he directly coaches the men's team. He also helps oversee the entire swimming and diving program at Texas.
Coaching for Team France
Since 2021, Bowman has coached the talented French swimmer Léon Marchand. Marchand first contacted Bowman by email, asking to join his team at ASU. Bowman agreed to coach him after seeing his impressive swim times. Marchand swam for ASU for three years, helping the team win a national title. He then followed Bowman to the University of Texas.
With Bowman as his coach, Marchand became one of the world's best swimmers. Bowman has a special arrangement where he coaches for both Team USA and Team France. He helped coach France at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships. Then he was head coach for the U.S. at the 2023 World Championships. At that event, Marchand broke Michael Phelps's 2008 world record in the 400 individual medley.
In 2024, Bowman coached for Team France again. At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, he cheered for Marchand, who won four gold medals. At the same time, Bowman continued to train several American Olympians, and also Hungarian gold medalist Hubert Kós.
Books Written
- The Golden Rules: 10 Steps to World-Class Excellence in Your Life and Work. Bob Bowman, with Charles Butler (2016), St. Martin's Press.
