ASU Swim & Dive head coach Bob Bowman surprised no one after being named to the 2023 International Swimming Hall of Fame class on Sept. 30 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Bowman has been the kingpin of the swim and dive program since he was hired in April 2015, and most recently, he brought the men’s team to their first No. 1 ranking ever and then led them to a Pac-12 Championship and a runner-up finish at the NCAA’s.
"It’s very humbling, we started thinking back on some of the stuff that’s happened, and it’s been pretty amazing," Bowman said. "That’s the most important part, the journey."
At the ceremony in Fort Lauderdale, he was able to spend his time celebrating the new induction with his family, friends, fellow coaches and former swimmers. Bowman said he has known that he was an inductee since January, which comes with a lot of emotion and thoughts for the head coach.
One of the friends and former swimmers Bowman said he celebrated with was the most decorated Olympic athlete, Michael Phelps. Phelps was also inducted this year, and Bowman said that the two of them had a lot of fun reflecting on and rethinking the experiences and outcomes of their journeys.
The Sun Devil swimmers all backed their coach and knew he deserved such a high honor. Léon Marchand, the 400 meter IM world record holder and five-time NCAA champion, said after their meet on Friday that Bowman brings the best out in swimmers and that they have a lot of fun together.
"He is such a great coach but also a great human," Marchand said. "He is going to bring you to the top, whatever it takes. We work very hard with him, and we are very happy all the time."
During his time here in Tempe, Bowman has coached 15 men and five women to becoming Pac-12 Champions. He coached the men’s team to a top-five Pac-12 finish every year he has been here, disregarding 2021, when the entire team was redshirted. He has also coached the women’s team to four top-five finishes.
Even though this is an honor to celebrate and a time to reflect on Bowman, the hard work he put in to get here has kept him remembering that there are no breaks in the grind even after such an accomplishment.
Erin Milligan, who took second in both the 200 and 400 meter freestyle relay in their opener against Georgia, said that even after Bowman’s time in Fort Lauderdale and his induction, he is still the same coach and didn’t make anything easier for the team.
"It definitely has not been easy this week, that's for sure," Milligan said about last week's preparation for their eventual win over UNLV in both the men's and women's circuits.
This shows that Bowman doesn’t back down from showing discipline and always expects top-tier dedication from his team, no matter the situation or the circumstance. This is a prime example of why Bowman has successfully coached the best of the best and why he now sits in the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Edited by Vinny Deangilis, Walker Smith and Grace Copperthite.
Editor's note: This article originally was published on Oct. 11, 2023. It was re-published due to technical difficulties noticed at 8:20 p.m. on Oct. 23, 2023.
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