Marrs Named Assistant Swimming Coach
8/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Aug. 15, 2005
HOUSTON - Jarrod Marrs, a three-time USA individual national champion in the 100-yard breaststroke, was hired Monday by the University of Houston Swimming & Diving program as an assistant swimming coach, head coach Mark Taylor announced.
Marrs served as a volunteer assistant swimming coach with the UH team during the 2004-05 season when the Cougars finished 20th nationally at the 2005 NCAA Championships, tying the best showing by a UH team since 1986-87.
In his new role, Marrs will assist Taylor with routine practice duties and help in meet management all Cougar home events. He will also be responsible for on-deck coaching during meets and assist in all recruiting efforts. In addition, he will work as the assistant coach for Houston Cougar Aquatics.
"As a competitor at the NCAA Championships and at the highest levels of USA Swimming, Jarrod brings a wealth of experience in coaching and techniques," Taylor said. "He will improve our overall program and help move us into the Top 20 teams at the NCAA Championships."
The UH assignment will not be Marrs' first in the coaching ranks as he previously served as an assistant coach with the Cy-Fair Swim Club. Prior to that, he worked as an assistant coach for the Curl-Burke Swim Club in Virginia from 2000-04.
After graduating from LSU in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, he spent four seasons as a student assistant coach. Marrs broke into the coaching ranks as an assistant coach with the Bengal Tiger Aquatic Club in Baton Rouge in 1995 and continued in that role until 1998.
He brings a wealth of experience from the international level. As a breaststroker, Marrs was a member of numerous international teams. He began his career with a bronze medal at the 1997 Pan Pacific Championships. From there, he would compete at the 1999 Pan American Games and earned silver medals in the 100-meter breaststroke and as a member of the 400-meter medley relay.
In 2004, he received another gold medal as a member of the winning 400-meter medley relay at the 2000 World Championships. In 2001, he received a gold medal in the 50-meter breaststroke and a bronze medal in the 100-meter breaststroke at the Goodwill Games.
He earned a silver medal in the 100-meter breaststroke at the 2003 Pan American Games and was a U.S. Olympic Trials finals finalist in both 2000 and 2004.
By the time that his career had ended, Marrs had earned seven medals in individual competition. In addition, he ranked among the Top 30 breaststrokers in the world in at least one event for seven consecutive years from 1997-03.
As an undergraduate student at LSU, Marrs established himself as one of the nation's finest collegiate swimmers. He was a 12-time All-American with the Tigers and was a three-time USA individual national champion in the 100-yard breaststroke.
He joined the Tiger program as a walk-on in 1995 and began his award-winning career following surgery on both shoulders that same season.
Marrs and his wife Holly live in Houston.