Glendale High Boys Water Polo Coaches:
1961 to present- A Look Back

Cliff Hooper was the team's first coach (1961). Hooper went on to legendary status while coaching at Corona Del Mar High School in Orange County.

Aido Buonaguidi, who taught at GHS for over 40 years, led the boys to their first championship (1964).

Jim Baugh would later coach the Glendale College water polo team. Now, the old GCC pool is a parking lot.

Tod Thompson coached the team for two seasons, but is best remembered for coaching GHS swimming All-American Mark Chatfield. During his senior year Chatfield was ranked third in the world in the 100-meter breaststroke. Chatfield broke the Olympic record in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. Thompson spent nearly 40 years in the GUSD as a teacher.

Chris Kaufman led the team to its second league title (1977), coached the school’s first three All-CIF players (Brandhurst, Campbell and Ellis) and first All-American (Campbell). He later coached Hoover’s water polo team and the swimming team at CV. Kaufman's son Nick was also a top player for the Nitros in 1988 and is a member of the GHS Water Polo Hall of Fame.

Bob Briggs followed with the school’s third league title (1979) and another All-American (MacKinnon). Briggs has the second longest coaching tenure of the Nitro polo coaches, seven years. Briggs was joined in his first year by Coach John McEveety.

Pete Loporchio was a former GHS player who returned to coach. He produced two All-CIF players (Byer and Ocon) and later coached at Occidental College. He returned to high school coaching leading Crescenta Valley High School to eight straight league titles in water polo and the CV swimming team to four CIF titles in the 1990’s. He is now the head women's water polo coach at L.A. Valley College. Loporchio's 1986 team snapped Muir's 36-league game winning streak.

Pat Lancaster had the most wins of any Glendale polo coach (132). In his eight seasons, he coached four All-Americans (Shirikjian, Abramyan, Galstyan and Hahn) and 10 All-CIF players (Petrossian, Shirikjian, Abramyan, Sahakyan, Z. Galstyan, Hahn (twice), Lim, Haghverdi, Sung and Amirian). His 2000 team posted a 23-6 record and went to the CIF semifinals and the 2002 team won the Pacific League championship. From 1992 to 1994 he was joined by former GHS player Todd Byer and also worked with Alfred Tamazyan in 2001 and he assisted Bobby Zirovich in 2005. He was the area coach of the year in 1990 and 2000 and the league coach of the year in 2000 and 2002.

Chris Axelgard coached the Nitros to their first Pacific League title (1998). That team broke Crescenta Valley's 38-league game winning streak and featured the greatest GHS player ever, Kevin Witt. Witt was the CIF co-Player of the Year and a second team All-American. Witt now plays on the USA National team. Axelgard coached four All-CIF players (Sahakyan, Barseghyan, Witt (twice), Cepeda). And he was an All-America player at Crescenta Valley High in 1974 and 1975.

Carol Driffill worked with Coach Alfred Tamazyan to produce three All-CIF players in 1999 (Z. Galstyan, Lim, Hahn).

Coach Alfred Tamazyan took over the team in 2003. Two players were named All-CIF in 2003, (Bagumyan and M. Galstyan)

Coach Tim Fredericksen, who was a standout player for the Nitros on the 1989 team, returned to coach the team for the 2004 season.

Coach Bobby Zirovich is the current Dynamiter head coach..