BREA, Calif. - Former UC San Diego water polo coach Denny Harper was officially inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame Friday.

Harper was one of five enshrined in the 41st class during a ceremony in Brea, Calif. The honorees represent international athletic excellence as well as gifted coaches and referees who have dedicated their lives to water polo.

Harper, who announced his retirement from UC San Diego in July of 2022, spent 42 years at the helm of the UC San Diego men's program. He also led the Triton women's team from 1985 until 1999. His teams combined for 942 victories.

The Triton men posted a 697-496-4 (.584) record between 1980, his first season with the Tritons, and 2021, his final season at the helm. He was named the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) National Coach of the Year 17 times and the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Coach of the Year 19 times. In 2024, Harper was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the ACWPC.

The Tritons advanced to the NCAA Championship on 15 different occasions, finishing second for the first time ever in 2000. In 1995, Harper's squad became the first Division III team to advance to the NCAA Final Four, repeating the feat in 1998 and 1999.

Under Harper's direction, UC San Diego proved to be a regular contender in the WWPA since the league began sponsoring championships in 1981. In 35 seasons, the Tritons captured 18 titles and 14 runner-up trophies. UC San Diego has been consistently ranked among the top-12 teams in the NCAA rankings and rose as high as No. 3 in the nation in 2006.

Harper coached the UC San Diego women's water polo team from 1985 through 1999, compiling a 245-122-2 overall record. The Tritons won five USA Water Polo crowns, one national runner-up effort, and two national third-place trophies.

A 1978 graduate of San Diego State University, Harper coached at Rancho Alamitos High School, Indio High School, and SDSU before coming to UC San Diego.

He played two years at Santa Barbara City College before moving on to San Diego State to finish his college career.

He began his collegiate coaching career at SDSU, leading the women's club team. Harper graduated in 1978. He helped the Aztecs to a 130-18 record.

In late 1979, fate intervened when best friend and former SBCC teammate Russ Hafferkamp asked Harper if he wanted to lead the UC San Diego men. It was a life-changing decision that turned a passion into a career. His four-plus decade run with the men's squad is nothing short of legendary.  

The 2025 class also includes two of the most formidable defenders in Team USA history - Melissa Seidemann, a three-time Olympic and world champion, and Jesse Smith, a five-time Olympian and 2008 silver medalist. Also inducted Friday were coaching great Ricardo Azevedo as well as official/referee David Alberstein.
  
To learn more about the Hall of Fame, including a look at all the past inductees, click here.
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About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.