SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) mourns the passing of legendary former water polo coach and league founding father Richard “Doc” Hunkler, who passed away April 9.
Hunkler, 83, was a former professor and chair of the Computer Science Department at Slippery Rock University, in addition to his roles as water polo and swimming coach.
Born May 9, 1935 in Houston, Texas, he was a graduate of Texas A&M University where he earned undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees. He was also an All-American swimmer for the Aggies.
Hunkler spent 30 years (1968-98) at SRU, where he guided the women’s water polo team to a Division I national championship and 10 top-three national finishes during an illustrious coaching career. He launched the University’s water polo program in 1972 as a club sport and led it to varsity status in 1991, ultimately coaching the women’s teams for 27 seasons and men’s teams for 24 seasons. He also spent seven seasons as the women’s swimming coach.
On the varsity level, Hunkler compiled a 316-82 record in 23 seasons: 162-20 in eight women’s water polo seasons, 116-53 in eight men’s water polo seasons and 38-19 in seven women’s swimming seasons.
He was inducted into the USA Water Polo Association Hall of Fame in 2000 and was one of two men in 2002 who comprised the inaugural class of inductees into the Collegiate Water Polo Association Hall of Fame joining fellow league founder/Bucknell University water polo coach Dick Russell. Hunkler was also enshrined in the Slippery Rock Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.
USA Water Polo established the Doc Hunkler Distinguished Women’s Coaching Award in 2010. The award is presented annually to the top scholastic coach in the nation. The CWPA also honored Hunkler by putting his name on its Women’s Division I Championship “Coach of the Year” award presented to the “Outstanding Coach at the CWPA Championship”.
Hunkler earned National “Coach of the Year” honors three consecutive seasons after leading SRU to Collegiate National Championships runner-up finishes in 1993 and 1994 and the Division I national championship in 1995.
The national title, which was claimed in only the fourth year of varsity competition by The Rock, is one of only two ever won by an SRU varsity sports team and the only women’s water polo national title ever captured by an Eastern team.
Hunkler also held posts on the national level. He was an assistant for the 1982-83 national women’s team which finished second at the World Cup Championships. As a coach at the U.S. Olympic Festival, he became the only person to ever direct both a men’s and women’s squad in water polo to the gold medal. Again, those teams were the first from the east to capture the gold.
He was also instrumental in the administration of the Mid Atlantic Conference, now known as the Collegiate Water Polo Association, in its early years. In the 1970’s, Hunkler served six years as President and several more as Secretary. He was also the individual in charge of coordinating the women’s competition from its inception, before the programs had a regular schedule within the league structure. His tireless work in developing women’s water polo paved the way for the tremendous growth experienced today.
Fellow CWPA Hall of Fame inductee and former United States Naval Academy head coach Mike Schofield noted, “I first met Doc Hunkler in 1975 as a novice college water polo player at Pitt, a big rival of Slippery Rock. Every summer Doc would volunteer his time and the Slippery Rock pool to coach any local College players who wanted to train, compete, and improve. We would pile in cars and make the drive from Pittsburgh to the Rock twice a week, and play in tournaments on weekends in Chicago, St. Louis, Philadelphia, New York, Washington, and of course, Pittsburgh. To put it mildly, we had the time of our lives.”
He is survived by his wife, Billie; two sons, Sean (Dolores) Hunkler of St. Louis, Missouri, and Wes (Terri) Hunkler of Ellwood City; a sister, Nancy Nunnery of Houston, Texas; 10 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a son, Wynne, who died in 2015.
Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m., April 15, and 10-11 a.m., April 16 until the time of service at 11 a.m., at Smith Funeral Home, 421 New Castle Street, Slippery Rock.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Slippery Rock Volunteer Fire Company and Rescue Team, PO Box 117, Slippery Rock, PA 16057.
“Doc produced hundreds of amazing athletes in the Slippery Rock program, but he was also a huge factor in developing dozens of players from rival programs like Bucknell, Brown, Harvard and Pitt. Who does that? Dr. Hunkler did, and we loved him for it,” added Schofield. “We loved Billie just as much,because she let him. No man ever had a more supportive and loving wife, and we grieve with you.
“There are not enough words to sum up what a positive influence Doc has been in my life. I will be forever grateful and work to honor his legacy to our sport, and all those whose lives he touched.”
Information courtesy Slippery Rock University Athletics
