Frank Erwin
1931 Joe Turner wins the Best Water-Man Cup . This cup is given annual to the best all round swimmer by the Texas Book Store. Athlete must be efficient in all water sports including diving to qualify.
(looking for Turners photo)
Frank Erwin Award Winners
The Frank Erwin Award was established In 1975 by Tex Robertson to honor outstanding individual achievement and contribution to Longhorn swimming and diving. The first recipient was, of course, Frank Erwin himself.
What does it mean to be a Texas Longhorn Swimmer? By Philip Nenon, ’79 – ‘82
Article is from the "WETS" newsletter
Phillip Nenon
When asked earlier this week to share my thoughts on this question, I found it both easy and very difficult. I’d spent time thinking about this topic with Kris’ retirement announcement. So I sit here now with a mix of emotions extremely happy for Kris and grateful for his (and Eddie’s) tremendous impact on me as an ex-athlete, person and even parent. But also a strange mix of excitement and some anxiety for coming changes with Texas Swimming since it remains important to me and generations of former UT swimmers.
Now the hard part of boiling down into a few words this question of what does it mean to be a Texas Longhorn Swimmer after this interesting week.
Accomplishment: Every one of the roughly 70 young men and women that jump in the pool every season day-in and day-out, come away with a sense of accomplishment. Some end up being Olympic gold medalists individually and national champions as a team. But the accomplishment is the same for the 35th swimmer on the roster struggling to make the traveling team or qualify for a championship time cut who put in the effort, improved their times, and helped push and inspire their teammates. Texas Swimming ingrained in all of us the recognition and appreciation for accomplishment for both self and team, which may be the greatest gift that can be imparted.
Rest of Phillips insightful article continues after the photos
Other things being a Texas Longhorn Swimmer mean to me: Embracing learning and welcoming criticism.
Learning to handle failure as well as success. Helping build a legacy that is continually rebuilt by those that follow. And transitioning my passion from “doing” swimming to contribute by watching and supporting.
Finally, the lingering satisfaction of jumping back in the pool to work out (even after a 25-year gap), not to relive past glories but simply to enjoy being an “old geezer” paddling along for the same physical and emotional benefits you got as a kid leading you to the Texas Swim Center, resulting in lessons and relationships that last a lifetime.
Well said!!! Philip was an all-American, member of the 1981 National Championship team and Captain of the 1982 team. He rarely misses an NCAA championship meet and is undoubtedly one of our most loyal WETS and Longhorn swimming and diving supporters. Hook’em!
Brendan Hansen induction speech to the TSDHOF is below.
http://www.tsdhof.org/brendan-hansen
2019 Ricky Berens is inducted into the Texas swimming and Diving Hall of Fame.
At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Berens won the gold medal in the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay with Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, and Peter Vanderkaay, setting a new world record of 6:58.56.
Berens swam the third leg of the 4×100-meter freestyle preliminaries at the 2009 World Championships in Rome and earned a gold medal when the U.S. team placed first in the final. Berens also swam in both the preliminaries and final of the 4×200-meter freestyle, which won gold.[4] In the final, Berens swam the second leg in 1:44.13, the second fastest split from anyone in the event.
Nate Dusing came to Texas as an outstanding age group and high school swimmer, setting multiple age group national records as a butterflier and was named the 1997 USA High School Swimmer of the Year. He went on to become one of the University of Texas’s most versatile and outstanding swimmers. Nate was a member of two NCAA Championship teams (2000, 2001), an individual NCAA Champion in the 200 IM and 200 Back (2001), and a member of nine NCAA Championship relay teams while at Texas. Dusing represented the United States at two consecutive Summer Olympics. At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, he earned a silver medal by swimming for the second-place U.S. team in the preliminary heats of the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay. Four years later, at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, he received a bronze medal by swimming for the third-place U.S. team in the preliminary heats of the men's 4×100-meter freestyle relay. He was also a member of gold medal-winning U.S. relay teams in the 4×100-meter freestyle at the 2005 World Aquatics Championships and the 2004 World Short Course Championships. Dusing currently works in the Medical Device industry and resides in Dripping Springs, Texas, with his wife of 18 years and Texas Soccer letter winner Michelle (Wickwire) Dusing. They have two daughters, Lyla (14) and Eva (12).