University of Minnesota Athletics
Jean Freeman - M Club Hall of Fame
Jean Freeman
Women’s Swimming, 1968-72
Swimming Coach, 1973-2004
HOF Class of 2000
Jean Freeman’s transition from swimmer to swim coach was swift: she swam for the Gophers through 1972, worked the next year as an assistant coach in Minnesota’s swimming program, and became Gopher head coach the next.
During her 31-year coaching career, Freeman produced 27 winning seasons, won Big Ten championships in 1999 and 2000, and won 208 dual meets. She coached two national champions, two Big Ten champions and 175 All-Americans, in all coaching more than 1,000 student-athletes.
She was a four-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, collected 20 American Swimming Coaches Certificates of Excellence, and in 1992 was inducted into the Minnesota Swim Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
In 1999, Freeman received the National Collegiate and Scholastic Swimming Trophy from the College Swimming Coaches Association of America, the highest honor of its kind.
Freeman has also coached at the national and international levels, and in 2006 was inducted into the U of M Aquatics Hall of Fame.
The Jean Freeman Endowed Scholarship, established in 1998, is awarded annually to a female swimming who embodies strong motivation, commitment and dedication to personal growth.
The University Aquatic Center was renamed the Jean Freeman University Aquatic Center in 2014.