BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Hall of Fame member/Fordham University alumnus Chris Judge adds another line to his list of achievements as one of four inductees to the 42nd USA Water Polo Hall of Fame class.
The 2026 class includes 2012 Olympic gold medalist Annika Dries who, in London, helped the US women’s team win its first Olympic title, and 2008 Olympic silver medalist Peter Hudnut who, in Beijing, helped the US men’s team end its 20-year medal drought at the Games. In addition, the class features women’s water polo coaching legend Carin Crawford, the all-time wins leader in San Diego State University water polo history, and Judge, who turned his stellar athletic career at Fordham into decades of success playing and coaching at the New York Athletic Club.
The Hall of Fame induction luncheon will be held June 19 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Brea North Orange County in Brea, California. To purchase individual tickets, tables or program ads CLICK HERE
Synonymous with New York City water polo, Judge first started attending practices with his father, Francis X. Judge (a fellow USAWP Hall of Fame member) before age-group water polo even existed in NYC.
In 1976, Judge oined the Fordham Rams where his water polo career truly began to take off.
A four-year starter, he was named All-East at two different positions (field and goal) during his career while earning letters in both swimming and water polo for all four years at Fordham.
Judge served as captain in 1978 and 1979, leading the Rams to a No. 8 national ranking in 1979. The captain of the swimming team in 1979, he established records as a swimmer and a legacy of athletic prowess that only improved following his collegiate career.
He earned a place among the nation’s most elite players competing in several National Sports Festivals, including the 1981 festival in which the East won the gold medal behind a Most Valuable Player performance by Judge.
Following graduation from Fordham with undergraduate degrees in finance and accounting, he continued to play at the highest level of the game and gave back to his alma mater as an assistant coach for the Rams in 1981 before serving as head coach from 1982-89. During his tenure as coach, the Rams captured five Metropolitan titles and one Mid-Atlantic Championship.
A mainstay at the New York Athletic Club starting in 1976, Judge helped NYAC win 14 National Championships as both a player and a coach. He also recruited and built rosters that featured some of the most dynamic players in USA Water Polo history. In 2011, he was inducted into the NYAC Hall of Fame.
On the National level, he earned a spot in the United States National Team in 1983-84 and was an alternate on the 1984 Olympic Team.
An age group coach at Hudson Valley Water Polo and the NYAC, he was inducted into the Fordham University Hall of Fame (1996) to join his father and fellow water polo player Francis X. Judge (1987).
As a coach, he guided the United States Military Academy men’s club team to five New York division titles plus appearances at the National Collegiate Club Championship each year. Judge was also named Coach of the Year each year for his efforts. In addition, Judge coached several age group programs at Greenwich Aquatics (Conn.) and Hudson Valley Water Polo (N.Y.).
Judge is also an active participant in Masters water polo. He won two gold medals at the 2014 and 2017 FINA World Masters Championship with Santa Barbara and several USA Water Polo Masters National titles. Today, he is President of the Hudson Valley WP Club, and a former Chairman of Water Polo at the New York Athletic Club.
In addition to this athletic exploits, he earned a Masters in Business Administration with concentration in Finance from Iona University in 1986 before receiving Certified Financial Planner designation in 1996.
For his performance at Fordham and service to the game, Judge earned the highest honor bestowed by the CWPA as a 2010 inductee to the league’s Hall of Fame.
The New York Athletic Club team during their trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1982. Back row L-R: Lou Gioia, Jose Ferraioli, Charles Gulotta, Ray Judge, Chris Judge, Bill Harris. Front row L-R: Dan Solomon, Scott Schulte, Homer Lane, Joel Iannuzzi, Spyros Capralos, Jim Purcell, Tom Gleason and Russ Hertzberger.
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