WASHINGTON, D.C. — George Washington University head men’s and women’s water polo coach Barry King recently sat down with anchor Sean Grant of GW’s Unstoppable series to discuss taking over the Colonials, his expectations of the program and future promise of the only varsity water polo team in Washington D.C.
Among the most successful women’s water polo coaches over the past two decades, King came to George Washington after building the Indiana University Hoosiers from a collegiate club program into a varsity powerhouse on the East Coast that made six national championship appearances and achieved 20 or more wins in 17 of 19 seasons. His career coaching record stands at 426-225-2 (.654).
In his final three seasons at IU, King led the Hoosiers to a 70-26 record with three consecutive appearances in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) championship game, including a title in 2014.
King’s squads captured five conference championships (1998, 2000, 2003, 2011, 2014) and finished in the top 20 of the national rankings in each of his final seven seasons. Twice the Hoosiers ranked among the top 10 in the country, finishing eighth in the polls in 2014 and ninth in 2011.
Among IU’s six appearances in the national championships, King led the Hoosiers to a Final Four appearance in 2003 and a seventh-place finish in 2014. He was named CWPA Coach of the Year in 2013 after leading IU to its first Western Conference Championship in program history. King’s student-athletes have been no strangers to success either, as Hoosier water polo players tallied 15 All-America, 58 All-CWPA, 14 All-Big Ten (1998-2000), 106 ACWPC All-Academic, 107 Academic All-CWPA and 153 Academic All-Big Ten honors under his tutelage.
In 2012, the Hoosiers won a school-record 28 games and finished the year ranked No. 14 in the nation. The year prior, King surpassed 300 career wins as IU qualified for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) National Championship.
IU first became a varsity program in 1998, when the Hoosiers won 26 games and a Midwest Regional Championship to earn a trip to the National Championship. Appearances at nationals followed in 1999 and 2000 before he guided IU from the Big Ten to the CWPA in 2001, where the same success followed. The Hoosiers narrowly missed the NCAA Championship in 2002, 2004 and 2005, while reaching the Final Four in 2003.
The Madera, Calif., native earned his Bachelor of Arts in athletic counseling (1988) and Master of Arts in exercise physiology (1996) from Fresno State University.
Before going to Indiana to work on a doctorate in exercise physiology, King coached men’s and women’s water polo at Madera High School (1987-88), freshman boys basketball at Clovis High School (1986-88) and varsity swimming at San Joaquin Memorial High School.
