CWPA Hall of Fame Coach Richard "Doc" Hunkler Featured in February 5 Slippery Rock Newspaper

Water Polo Built from Bottom Up - February 5 TheOnlineRocket.com

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- Collegiate Water Polo Association Hall of Fame coach Richard "Doc" Hunkler is featured in the February 5 online edition of Slippery Rock University's online newspaper, The Rocket.

A 2002 inductee to the CWPA Hall of Fame, he initiated water polo at SRU in 1972 as a club sport and led the men's and women's programs to a combined record of 264-62 (162-20 women's, 104-42 men's) in varsity competition.

Hunkler had success with a nationally ranked men's team, but what he did for women's water polo is probably his greatest achievement. He was named National Coach of the Year in 1993 and 1994, after two runner-up performances at the Collegiate National Championships. In 1995, the SRU women captured the national championship, making them the first and only eastern team to earn such an honor. Under Hunkler’s leadership, the Slippery Rock women also posted three national third-place finishes from 1990 to 1992.

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.