History - 60s

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Glendale High School Water Polo
History- The Decade of the 60's

The Teams
1961
Coach Cliff Hooper

1962
Coach Aido Buonaguidi

1963
Coach Aido Buonaguidi

1964
Coach Aido Buonaguidi

1965
Coach Henry Horton

1966
Coach Jim Baugh

1967
Coach Jim Baugh

1968
Coach Aido Buonaguidi

1969
Coach Aido Buonaguidi

The 60's
The Decade at a Glance

Glendale High School started a NEW sport in 1961; water polo.
The team coached by Cliff Hooper did not win a game (0-7), but "The Originals" paved the way for great teams in the future. Larry Schock was the team captain of that first Dynamiter team.

Coach Aido Buonaguidi took over for the next 3 seasons. In 1962 the team won one game (San Marino) to finish 1-7. Bob Meserve was the team MVP. In 1963 GHS finished 7-7 and was led by junior star Paul Ainslie, who paced the team in scoring with 55 goals. With Ainslie returning for his senior year, Buonaguidi knew he would soon put a championship caliber squad in the water.

He was right. The 1964 team is the greatest GHS water polo team on record. It put up mind-boggling numbers, embarrassing the competition through the regular season. The Dynamiters outscored opponents 213 to 35 in 10 league games en route to an undefeated FOOTHILL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP. The team finished with a record of 16-5 but was shut down in the first round of the CIF playoffs by Whittier. GHS picked up its first-ever wins over Hoover. Hoover was the defending league champ and GHS nailed them twice, 12-3 and 18-6. Ainslie was the top scorer finishing with a school record 127 goals for the season (183 in his career). Those records would stand for 34 years. Tim Erganian was also a mainstay for the champion Nitros.

Coach Henry Horton replaced Coach Buonaguidi for the 1965 campaign. GHS finished third in league. Ralph Gustavson was the team MVP and a first team all-league player.

Coach Jim Baugh replaced Horton for the 1966 and 1967 seasons. GHS had a 6-4 league record in 1966 placing third in league. Pat Dixon was the team's MVP and a first team all-league player. He led the team with 67 goals. Glendale split the season series with Hoover beating the Tornadoes 12-6 and then dropping an 8-7 contest in the season finale.

Baugh's 1967 unit finished 4-8, dropping five games by two goals or less. Rob Howard was the team MVP.

In 1968 Aido Buonaguidi returned as head coach to coach three seasons, but the teams were inexperienced . The 1968 team completed what was termed "a losing season" and the 1969 season was called a "disappointment." Mark Kanzler was the team MVP.