There is a long storied history around The Forty Acres….that there is absolutely no school better at swimming and diving…..than the Longhorn Men’s and Women’s program….as campus buzzz has always been….well, we’re not sure about the football team or basketball team or baseball team…but swimming and diving team….pure and simply “bet on the Horns”…..especailly at the Texas Swim Center….a place that Coach Eddie Reese has walked around the circumference of the swimming pool at UT at least 500,000 times since 1978….as Coach Eddie goes into his 40th year at the helm at Texas Swimming & Diving…..for this legendary coach has won 13 National Championships in thos 40 years. How awesome is that….Coach Reese has won the National Title every 3rd year of his career at Texas.
Since this event transpired during the days of Bone Daddy (the original Sportsphile) and Madison Square Garden, The Sports Place at 302 E. 6th St. in Austin, TX….so, Bone Daddy saw this event live at the Texas Swim Center….and showed this video back to many of those who participated in this event….including Cal’s great swimmer Matt Biondi….Stanford’s Pablo Morales, John Moffet and Jeff Kostoff….Florida’s Mike Heath….Texas Chris Jacobs, Mike Ellison, Rick May and Ken Flaherty…..along with 1984 Olympics swimming hero Rowdy Gaines….all of whom came to The Garden to see this same video that you are seeing in the vidoe herewith.
This ABC Wide World of Sports production featured Al Trautwig, Mark Spitz and Donna de Varona….as it kicks off with the mens 200 yard freestyle finals….in which Cal Matt Biondi set a new American and NCAA Record with a time of 1:32.22….as Florida’s Mike Heath captured 2nd with a time of 1:35.16…..as home pool favorite Texas Chris Jacobs garnered 3rd with a time of 1:35.27. ABC follows this race with a really nice piece of the “tough pill to swallow” that Stanfold mens 100 yard World Record holder John Moffet had to endure at the 1984 Olympic Trials….then follows this piece with the mens 100 yard freestyle….in which Moffet wins in a time of 53.62 seconds….followed by Texas Rick May in 2nd in a time of 54.11….with Cal’s Rick Gill capturing 3rd place in a time of 54.24.
Donna de Varona does a indepth interview with Alabama’s 400 yard individual medley specialist, Peter Berndt….who is a foriegn exchance student at Alabama University….as they segway into the the actual 400 yard individual medley final in which Stanford Jeff Kostoff wins w ith a time of 3:47.11….followed by Alabama Peter Berndt who capture 2nd in a time of 2:49.13….with Texas Ken Flaherty getting 3rd with a time of 3:49.92. Next comes the 100 yard freestyle featuring the best swimmer at these 1986 National Championships in Cal’s Matt Biondi against UCLA’s Tom Jager….who had never lost a race at the NCAA Nationals in his 4 years at UCLA…..as Biondi would take 1st in another American Record and NCAA Record time of 41.88….with Texas’s Mike Ellison capturing 2nd in a time of 43.50….while Jager garnered 3rd with a time of 43.64.
This is followed by an interview and review of the incredible world record time that Stanford’s Pablo Morales swam in the 200m butterfly at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics….then moves to this year’s race in Austin….as Morales would take 1st in a time of 1:42.85….followed by Jon Sieben from Alabama with a time of 1:44.07…..as Stanford teammate Anthony Mosse would take 3rd place ina a time of 1:44.82.
The final event covered in this video is the 3m Springboard Diving Competition…..which was unexpectedly won by Arkansas’s Ron Meyer with a total of 606.70 points on the very last dive of the competition….as he beat out Ohio State’s Mark Bradshaw by the hair of his chinny chin chin…..as the Buckeye had 606.60 points…..as Cal-Irvine’s Jim Gray took 3rd with 585.30 points.
Being able to see Matt Biondi, Joh Moffet, Pablo Morales and Jeff Kostoff at the top of their game makes this video MUST SEE TV for any and all swimming fans.
