Craig Wilson

Early life and education The Wilson family moved from Texas to California when Craig was four, eventually settling in Davis where he played at Davis Senior High School and was named a high school Honorable Mention All American in his Senior year in 1975. Wilson then moved to Santa Barbara where he spent 2 years at Santa Barbara City College (they had no water polo program at this time) before transferring to the University of California, Santa Barbara. The Gauchos won the 1979 NCAA Division I Men's Water Polo Championship with Wilson named to the All-Tournament Team and as a Second Team All American.

Playing career Club Wilson competed with the Industry Hills club in 1981 and 1982, where he played alongside former Gaucho teammate Greg Boyer. Industry Hills was named the USWP National Outdoor Champions in both seasons he played for the club. This was the first of three straight championships to which he led Harvard Water Polo Foundation, the last over Sunset Water Polo Club, which consisted of seven of his former 1979 UC Santa Barbara teammates.

Wilson went on to win five USWP National Championships, both outdoors and indoors. He was named the US Water Polo Athlete of the Year four times (1983, 1987, 1988, 1991) and the Most Valuable Player in 1990.

In the 1988 Summer Olympics, under Head Olympic Coach Bill Barnett, Yugoslavia was drawn into the same preliminary group as the United States, with the US claiming a 7–6 victory. Both teams advanced from group play and, in a change from the previous Games, faced off in a championship match. The United States came second best, again, on the wrong side of a 9-7 score. After the heartbreaking loss, Wilson claimed he wouldn't appear in another Olympics and would be retiring.

Despite not missing a beat, Wilson turned course and decided to appear in the 1992 Summer Olympics. At this stage, he was the oldest men's water polo player at the Games. Despite the United States' past successes, the team failed to medal in 1992 and would mark the last Olympics Wilson would participate in.

Outlet pass

Wilson is credited with the introduction of the "outlet pass" to water polo. A former Little League pitcher, he was able to move the ball from defense to offense quickly with a long pass to the offensive players from his position in goal. Richard Corso, the former US National Team Goalkeepers Coach who assisted Wilson, noted that "We really changed the game in 1980 and '84. Craig's technique as a passer has been copied by everyone. Goalies were looking to get the pass out to start the fast break."

Professional career After the 1992 Olympics, Wilson joined the private sector and worked in medical device and pharmaceutical sales and for Fortune 500 companies. From 1994-98 he worked for Cardinal Health, switching from 1998-99 to sales of orthopaedic devices with Sulzer Orthopaedics. Through 2004, he served with Bristol-Myers Squibb, then worked two years in accounts for Oncology Therapeutics Network. Through 2010, he served with McKesson, later serving as a Director of Technology for Amerisource Bergen.

Honors Wilson is a member of the Class of 1999 USA Water Polo Hall of Fame and was inducted July 17, 1999. Additionally, was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2005.

He's also in the UCSB Gaucho Athletic Hall of Fame twice, being named once individually and once as a member of the 1979 NCAA Championship men's water polo team, and is the only player in the history of the UC Santa Barbara men's water polo program to have his cap retired.