Louis Handley

Louis de Breda Handley, originally with birthname Luigi de Breda (February 14, 1874 – December 28, 1956) was an Italian-born American freestyle swimmer, water polo player, and coach who coached the Women's Swimming Association of New York and won gold medals in swimming and water polo in the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis.

Early life Born in Rome on February 14, 1874, Handley was the son of the American sculptor Francis Montague Handley and his Italian wife. He was registered in Rome as an Italian citizen with the baptismal name of Luigi and the surname of his mother, "de Breda".

In 1896 he fled to New York and added to his name the surname of his father. He worked in a small imports firm and devoted himself to his second passion after hunting, swimming. He was also a great water polo player (his style of shooting was called "jumping salmon").

As an exceptional water polo player, Handley played for the New York Athletic Club team that captured all but one AAU indoor and outdoor title between 1898 and 1911. When the former US “softball” rules, which used a smaller ball, were removed from water polo in 1911 in favor of international rules, Handley left water polo but continued his sporting interests as a yachtsman and field dog trainer.

In the team photo at left, Handley, who frequently served as team Captain, is shown with the New York Athletic Club water polo team in July, 1907. He is featured third from left on the bottom row holding the water polo ball and wearing the winged foot jersey of the New York Athletic Club. Coach Gus Sundstrom is standing in the center of the top row. A complete list of the 1907 team standing at the photo at left from left to right include C.D. Trubenbach, L. B. Goodwin, Coach Gus Sundstrom, J. B. Naething, and E.E. Wenk Jr., and seated; from left to right, J.A. Ruddy, Ogden M. Reed, Captain Louis De Breda Handley, and James Steen. An exceptional program, between 1898-1911, the New York AC team won all but one of the AAU Water Polo titles for indoor and outdoor competition.

Olympic coaching and officiating Handley served as the Head Water Polo referee for the 1920 Olympics.

Coaching He coached both the New York Athletic Club in swimming and water polo and was the Head Coach for the Women's Swimming Association of New York, founded by Charlotte Epstein in 1917. Epstein herself assisted with certain coaching responsibilities at times as well.

He wrote the entry dedicated to swimming in the Encyclopædia Britannica. Handley also served as a sportswriter for the New York Herald Tribune, in New York City, covering mostly aquatics.

Publications Handley, L. De. B., How to play water polo, American Sports Publishing Company, New York, 1910 Handley, L. De. B., Swimming and Watermanship, The MacMillan Company, New York, 1918 Handley, L. De. B., Thirty Lessons in Swimming, The Milo Publishing Company, New York