Bill Barnett

William "Bill" Robert Barnett (August 31, 1942 – December 24, 2018) was an American water polo coach who competed for Long Beach State and was best known for leading the U.S. men's Olympic water polo team to a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea and to a fourth place finish at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. As of 2026, he was one of only two U.S. Olympic men's water polo coaches to lead the U.S team to two consecutive top four finishes in the Olympic games.

Early life Barnett was born August 31, 1942, in greater Los Angeles, an only child to mother Gladys, a Junior High math teacher and Whittier High School swimmer, and father Earl, a Los Angeles District High School principal. The family resided on South Passons Boulevard in the Los Angeles suburb of Pico Rivera. With an inborn respect for education and achievement, he attended El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera, California, graduating in the summer of 1960. He played water polo for the El Rancho's "B" team in 1957 as a Freshman under Coach Ken Cates, and continued as a standout in both water polo and swimming through his Senior year. At the Whittier District Championship in April, 1960, competing for swim coach Bill Sexton, Barnett tied the Class A record in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:05.9, and later lowered his time to 1:03.8 at the CIF Finals the following month.

College water polo Fullerton College After High School, Barnett enrolled at Fullerton Community College attending from 1960-1963. At Fullerton College, he was managed and trained in water polo by accomplished coach Jimmy Smith, a member of the Water Polo Hall of Fame who won five national titles during his 30 year tenure as a Water Polo Coach and athletic director at Fullerton. Known as the "Father of Water Polo", Smith modified the design of the water polo ball, making it smaller, lighter and denser to improve the handling, passing, and accuracy of shots on goal. Smith had formerly coached Monte Nitzkowski at Fullerton College. Nitzkowski would later mentor Barnett, and serve as an Olympic Coach. While playing water polo for Fullerton Junior College in 1961, Barnett was named a second team All-Southern California Junior College water polo honoree.

Long Beach State Barnett transferred to Long Beach State University (LBSU), where he played water polo from 1963-1965. At Long Beach State, his team won the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) championship in the 1963 season, while under the coaching of Water Polo Hall of fame honoree Bob Horn. That year Barnett was an honorable mention honoree on the CCAA All-League team. Graduating Long Beach State in 1965 with a degree in Physical Education, he lettered and competed in both swimming and water polo.

While at Long Beach State, Barnett played for club team, Nu-Pike Water Polo, coached by future Olympic Coach Monte Nitzkowski. Nitzkowski would have a long career coaching at Long Beach City College, where he was available to coach Barnett while Barnett attended Long Beach State. Barnett credited Nitzkowski with greatly improving his knowledge of water polo tactics and strategy. At Club Nu-Bike, Barnett was also likely coached by Bob Horn, as Horn led the team to Outdoor water polo championships in 1963 and 1968. He coached boys water polo at Newport High from 1966-2015, and the girls water polo team from 1996-2015. During his coaching tenure at Newport Harbor High, he won 15 Southern Section Girls' Championships, with included 10 for the boy's teams and five for the girls' teams. With consistent records of high level play, Barnett coached 11 successive Newport Harbor teams to the CIF finals.

Outstanding players coached Some of the better known players he coached in age-group competition at Newport Harbor High School who became Olympians included James Bergeson, Kaleigh Gilchrist, Eric Lindroth and Kevin Robertson, and he coached non-Olympians Frank Anderson and Mike Grier.

According to water polo referee, Terry Sayring, like most accomplished coaches, Barnett's coaching style was considered somewhat demanding and strict, though he retained a sense of humor. He trained his players to a strong defense that pressed opponents and could quickly move to counterattacks on offense.

Honors Barnett became a member of the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame in 2000. An annual award for distinguished coaching bearing his name was created by USA Water Polo to honor his achievements. He became a member of the Long Beach State Hall of Fame in 2005.