Ed Reed

BRIDGEPORT, Pa. -- Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Commissioner Dan Sharadin announced today the appointment of CWPA Hall of Fame inductee and Technical Committee Member Ed Reed as the organization’s Coordinator of Officials effective on June 15th.

“I am thrilled with the opportunity to bring Ed on as Coordinator of Officials,” noted Sharadin. “As a capable administrator with a strong background in the sport he is well suited to the position. Likewise his familiarity with the conference along with his previous work on the Technical Committee gives him a head start with respect to his responsibilities.”

Reed replaces Tom Tracey who steps down following ten years of service to the Collegiate Water Polo Association.  During his tenure, Tracey expanded the quantity of the organization’s officiating corps from 51 officials in 2001 to over 100 during the 2010 season. This included growth in the assignments made from 1,550 in 2001 to over 2,300 games this past year.

During Tracey’s tenure, the officiating corps grew in quality as the CWPA took several steps to educate the officials.  Key among these steps was the creation of the CWPA Technical Committee which oversees the education of the officials through a variety of means, including video – an effort spearheaded by Reed during his tenure on the committee.

Tracey was also instrumental in increasing the financial support for referees, moving towards fair compensation and expense reimbursement. When he began, officials received $30/game, no travel stipend; they paid their own insurance, and received no per diem unless they traveled more than 100 miles from home. Nowadays referees receive nearly complete reimbursement for all expenses including uniforms and insurance, along with a higher game rate.

“Tom became synonymous with the growth of the organization,” adds Sharadin. “When he took over, we were experiencing a serious shortage of officials, having difficulty covering all of our games with trained referees. During his career, he not only doubled the number of referees, but established a great foundation to build upon for training and education.”

“His easy demeanor and way with people helped keep communication lines open between all parties in what is arguably the most difficult position in any sports organization. We are excited for him as he moves on to full-time work in developing the sport on the grass roots level, although we will miss his expertise and energy within the conference.”

A 2003 inductee to the Collegiate Water Polo Association Hall of Fame, Reed was an outstanding coach and mentor of student-athletes, with seventeen student-athletes earning All-America honors while playing for Reed. He was inducted into the Rhode Island Aquatic Hall of Fame in 1986, the Brown University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996 and the United States Water Polo Hall of Fame in 1999.

Most recently, Reed has worked on the CWPA Technical Committee, where he provides input into the assignments of officials, aids in referee evaluation, and is in charge of the video review process. With respect to the video portion, he has the responsibility of breaking down game footage into usable clips to help teach officials. The hope of the league office is to expand this role into a complete online education program heading into the future.

Reed also contributed to the sport on the national level, serving on the coaching staff of the United States Men’s National Water Polo Team from 1993-96. He worked with the 1995 U.S. squad that won the gold medal at the Pan American Games in Argentina and was an assistant coach for the seventh-place U.S. team at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. He was also elected President of the American Water Polo Coaches Association and served on several committees for United States Water Polo.

Reed was a two-time All-America as a swimmer at Springfield College, winning the 1965 New England Intercollegiate Championship in the 200 meter individual medley. He started his coaching career at Tufts University in 1966.

He retired in the spring of 2008 as the Aquatic Center Manager for the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

He and his wife Andy reside in North Port, Alabama.

The largest single sport collegiate conference in the nation and the second largest collegiate athletic organization in the nation behind only the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in terms of geographic size, the Collegiate Water Polo Association is comprised of more than 280 teams divided into two classes, varsity and sport club.