By Bill Sheehan
It's been nearly four decades since Cal State Fullerton fielded a water polo team. A revival of the sport was seen by many as a pipe dream. But dreams sometimes do come true.
The school is adding men's and women's water polo teams next year, Director of Athletics Jim Donovan has announced. Fullerton had a men's water polo team for two decades before dropping the program in 1985. The women's team will be a first for Fullerton.
"I'm excited that we're one of the few institutions in the country that's actually adding intercollegiate sports," said Donovan. "Southern California is the world's hotbed for water polo. We can be nationally competitive in men's and women's water polo in just a few years."
Fullerton's new 53-meter campus pool helped pave the way for a water polo program. "We had just partnered with Cal State Fullerton Academics to build an $8.1-million Olympic pool – providing $4 million of the total needed to finish the project. It made 'cents and sense' to see if we could utilize this beautiful new facility for additional Titan sports," said Donovan. "I truly believe both these teams have a good opportunity to help us earn a 13th national championship."
Fram Virjee, Fullerton's president, said the new teams will pay strong dividends. "Whenever we add a new sport to our amazing Division 1 Titan Athletics program, it is both impactful and intentional. It means expanding opportunity for our students to participate in a college athletics program that emphasizes the scholar-athlete philosophy, builds lifelong essential skills like leadership, organization, teamwork and tenacity, and brings the Titan family together in one purpose to support our beloved campus and its students," he said.
George "Nick" Cornejo has been hired to serve as manager of Fullerton's new aquatics center. Cornejo, who had been working as a pool facility recreation specialist for Culver City, will begin June 6.
The university intends to launch the inaugural women's season in spring 2023 and the men's in fall 2023. The teams will have the fully allowed number of scholarships per NCAA rules – 4.5 for men and 8 for women – implemented over a three-year period, Donovan said.
Big West commissioner cheers addition of teams
Big West Commissioner Dan Butterly applauded Fullerton's decision. "It's always an exciting time when an institution can add teams for student-athletes to compete. These are the first teams to be added by a Big West school in my two years as commissioner," he said.
The women's team is expected to be quickly accepted into the Big West's water polo conference. The Titans would be the conference's eighth women's team.
The Big West does not currently sponsor a men's water polo conference. The Big West's teams are split between the Golden Coast Conference and the Western Water Polo Association.
Fullerton will give the conference six teams – the minimum required for postseason NCAA automatic qualification. The Big West would become the first NCAA Division 1 conference to sponsor competition in men's water polo.
Big West member schools are expected this spring to consider the creation of a men's water polo conference. If the Big West formally informs the NCAA that men's water polo will be a sponsored sport, there would be a two-year waiting period until the conference has an automatic qualification to the NCAA postseason. During the two-year transition, a Big West team could be selected as an at-large participant in the NCAA postseason. After the two-year period, either a Big West tournament champion or regular-season champion would receive an automatic bid, and other teams in the Big West could receive an at-large bid.
"It is ultimately up to the board of directors of the Big West, comprised of the chief executive officers from each institution, but it makes a lot of sense from my perspective," said Donovan. "Look what it's done for Big West men's volleyball – four national championships in four seasons since it became a Big West-sponsored sport. I'd say a similar outcome for men's water polo – competing for national titles – is very likely."
The two Fullerton water polo teams will share one head coach. There will be one assistant coach for the men's team and another assistant for the women's team. All three coaching positions will be full-time positions. "USC has utilized this 'one-head-coach' model for men's and women's water polo for many years, and the school has had tremendous success with this model," said the athletic director.
High interest in coaching positions, slots for student-athletes
Donovan anticipates a lot of interest in the coaching positions. For head coach, his goal is to hire someone with intercollegiate experience who has a personality and a plan that can be successful at Fullerton. Other requirements are a record of competitive achievement and an ability to recruit while complying with NCAA compliance rules.
He expects there will be 30 student-athletes on the women's team and 22 on the men's team.
Fullerton's announcement has the water polo community buzzing. "I've received about a dozen emails so far (in one full workday) from people interested in being a coach, and others from students and parents interested in water polo opportunities for student-athletes," said Donovan.
This does not surprise John Abdou, the Chief Performance Officer for Irvine-based USA Water Polo. The non-profit organization's mission includes sanctioning local tournaments, producing national championships and selecting and training U.S. Olympic teams.
"This is a huge day for our sport," said Abdou. "For Fullerton to be adding Division 1 teams -- and being a member of a conference like the Big West -- is an exciting moment.
"Fullerton will not face the challenges that many new programs encounter. The school now has a world class facility that will continue to be built out. Orange County is a wonderful place to live. There will be a pool of high-quality coaching candidates."
Jeff Gilstrap, the athletic department's senior development director, will play a critical role in the program's takeoff. "Initially, we want to set and state goals for the program. As we launch, there will be funding needs like new equipment, a scoreboard and timing system, bleachers and eventually new locker rooms and coaches' offices. It's extremely encouraging because we have already received interest from supporters who want to help," he said.
"We've already had a 'sneak preview' event for a small group of former Fullerton water polo players, alumni, donors and Eric Hanauer, the school's original water polo coach. As we get closer to the kickoff, we'll hold events to promote our new pool facility and our new coaches and student-athletes."
Program's return was long overdue, original coach says
Hanauer, who launched the Titans' initial program in 1966, said the sport's return was long overdue. "I'm very happy that one of the aquatics sports is being restored. And I'm happy to see a major-league pool was built at Cal State Fullerton."
He faced daunting hurdles in getting the program off the ground 56 years ago. "Recruiting was the biggest challenge. There was virtually no money. And we had a pool that was obsolete the days it was built. Twenty-five yards, eight lanes, and the whole pool was shallow."
The Titans, who initially competed as an NCAA Division 2 member, improved a little each year before taking a big step in Year 4. Fullerton won the 1969 California College Athletic Association championship with a victory over Cal Poly Pomona. "Our team tied the score with 10 seconds left and then won in overtime," said Hanauer.
A year later, Hanauer shifted to become Fullerton's swimming coach. He gave up coaching in 1973 to concentrate on teaching, serving as an associate professor of kinesiology at Fullerton for 35 years. "It was a no-brainer [decision], he said. "Fullerton moved to Division 1 in 1973, and the budgets of all the non-income sports were cut by 50%."
Hanauer, who now lives in San Diego, became a world-class underwater photographer and has had diving articles and photos published in magazines, books, posters and electronically. He has also written dive guidebooks to the Red Sea and Micronesia.
Ken Lindgren replaced Hanauer as Fullerton's water polo coach. Serving from 1971 to 1974, he guided the team to four straight Pacific Coast Athletic Association titles. The Titans finished third at the NCAA water polo tournament in 1971 and fourth in 1974. One of Lindgren's players, John Siman, was a member of the 1980 and 1984 U.S. Olympic water polo teams, winning a silver medal at the '84 Los Angeles Games.
Lindgren left for Long Beach State in 1975. He served as the 49ers' coach for 24 seasons, leading Long Beach to seven NCAA appearances and five conference titles. Lundgren, who died in 2013, also had eight "A" Team Olympians at Long Beach and served as a coach with both the men's and women's U.S. Olympic teams.
Titans need a coach like Ken Lindgren, former player says
"If Fullerton could attract a coach like Kenny, Fullerton will be successful, "said David Simcox, who played for Lindgren at Fullerton in 1972 and 1973. "Ninety percent of what I learned about water polo came from Kenny."
Simcox, who coached water polo at Foothill High School in Santa Ana from 1974 to 2008, said there will be no shortage of student-athletes interested in playing water polo for Fullerton. "There are so many talented kids in Orange County. It's so nice there will be another place for them to play"
"With the NCAA granting an extra year of eligibility because of Covid, some schools are inundated with players on scholarships. Recruits will have an opportunity to play right away at Fullerton," said Simcox, a Cypress resident.
Kevin Hopp was hired as the water polo head coach in 1982 but had little support from the school administrators, recalled Scott French, who covered water polo that year for the Daily Titan.
"Hopp did a good job and the team, which was led by Doug Ward and Hopp's brother Danian, overachieved. But no one was doing much to grow the program. Football, basketball and baseball were given priority," said French, a free-lance writer who covered soccer for the Long Beach Press-Telegram and the Los Angeles Daily News for nearly four decades.
Water polo was jettisoned by the school in 1985. Swimming also fell by the wayside.
Now 37 year later, the water polo program is roaring back to life, with the addition of both men's and women's teams. And no one is happier than Virjee, who was appointed president of the school in December 2017. He played water polo at UC Santa Barbara, and his two sons also competed for Division 1 teams.
"I know the power of the game in shaping the futures of those who play. But this is not about me – far from it. This is about Titans competing very quickly at the highest levels in a sport that is synonymous with Southern California, especially Orange County," said Virjee.
"It is about expanding opportunity for Titan athletes and providing the chance for them to shine on a national level. It is about expanding the front porch that Titan Athletics is for Cal State Fullerton by inviting the community in. We want to share our mission, our community and our success with the city, region, and state. But yes, it is special for me, and I am smiling."