Craig Klass

Edward Craig Klass (born June 20, 1965, in Wiesbaden, Hessen) is a former water polo player who competed for Stanford University, and won the silver medal for the United States at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

Craig Klass was born June 20, 1965, in Wiesbaden, Hessen. He attended Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek, California, where he played water polo from 1979-1983, and was coached by John Hilton. During his high school career, from 1981-1982, he was a High School All American, and scored an impressive 104 goals in three years of varsity play. He was named first team at the North Coast Invitational, and was a Foothill Athletic League choice, by unanimous voting. A multi-sport athlete, Klass also played basketball for Las Lomas in 1983.

During his High School years from 1981-1982, Klass played water polo for the Concord Athletic Club, and in 1991 played for the Newport Club. While at Stanford, Klass helped the team capture NCAA championship team titles in both 1985 and 1986, and received honors as an All-American successively from 1984-86. As an upperclassman in 1986, he was named NCAA Player of the Year.

Klass also competed for the United States at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain where the U.S. team placed fourth with Italy taking the gold, Spain taking the silver, and the Unified Team taking the bronze. Yugoslavia and Spain were the early favorites for the gold, but Yugoslavia was banned from competing as a team due to their actions in the Bosnian and Croatinan war.

In elite international competition, in 1991, Klass was part of the U.S. team that won a silver medal in the Pan American Games in La Habana (Havana), Cuba, and in the same year was part of the U.S. team that won a gold medal in the World Championships. In 1989, Klass was a United States Olympic Committee Athlete of the Year.

In professional pursuits, Klass has worked as a physical therapist.