University of Minnesota Athletics
Jean Freeman's Legacy Lives On
12/4/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Story by Lexi Diederich
Proud former and current Golden Gopher swimmers and divers will reunite this weekend for special events honoring one, extraordinary person.
There are few people that could have such a powerful hold on the swimming community, and the late Jean K. Freeman happens to be one of them.
"You can't imagine the reach a person like her has," said Beth Shimanski, a former Gopher swimmer. "It's immeasurable."
The University of Minnesota will hold the annual Jean Freeman Invite on Dec. 5-6, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 6 to officially rename the University Aquatic Center to the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center. The ribbon-cutting event is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. Public interested in attending should enter the Aquatic Center at the North Entrance.
Freeman began her career at the University of Minnesota as a student-athlete from 1968-72 on the swimming and diving team. From there, she served as an assistant coach before being named head coach in 1973. During her 31 years as head coach, Freeman led the team to back-to-back Big Ten Championships (1999-2000), posted winning records in 27 seasons and coached 58 swimmers to All-American status.
Although Freeman's dominating numbers earned her a spot in the Minnesota history books, the swimming community appreciated her for other reasons. She cared for her athletes outside of the pool, and strived for student-athlete development more than just winning.
"She was a listener," said Minnesota Senior Associate Head Coach Terry Ganley. "Athletes knew that they could go and talk to her no matter what challenges they were facing as college students."
Freeman was Ganley's club swim coach during her youth, became her coach at Minnesota and, finally, coached alongside her with the Gophers. The two worked together at Minnesota when men's and women's athletic departments were separated until 2002.
"It was a great opportunity to not only swim for her, but to coach with her," Ganley said. "I know she'd be happy and proud of the combined program that we've built."
Even during a time when athletic departments were separated by gender, Freeman saw value in everyone and took the time to connect with all student-athletes.
"She was the Mom you needed when you showed up to college," Shimanski, who swam for Freeman from 1995-99, said with a laugh. She was also the first recipient of the Jean K. Freeman Endowed Scholarship award. "We were her family, and she treated us as such. Through injuries, bad swims or grades, she always had an encouraging word and kept life in perspective during tough times."
This calm, helpful and compassionate demeanor is what made Freeman a favorite among student-athletes and her peers. She had a competitive instinct, but always remained positive and optimistic around the team.
"Her positive attitude about everything was contagious and it just put you at ease," Shimanski said. "She got us to work hard and do more than we ever thought we could, but it was always in this calming and encouraging attitude."
Shimanski is now a coach herself. Always looking at the bigger picture and "not letting the little things get to you" is a philosophy Shimanski has since adopted from Freeman. Coach Ganley also sees Freeman's ideologies shining through her own coaching style.
Among learning the importance of respect, hard work and responsibility, Freeman taught Ganley one other key lesson.
"Just be proud of Minnesota."
