The Cal 100: No. 34 -- Pete Cutino
We count down the top 100 individuals associated with Cal athletics, based on their impact in sports or in the world at large – a wide-open category. See if you agree.
No. 34: Pete Cutino
Cal Sports Connection: Cutino coached the Cal men's water polo team to 519 victories in 26 seasons, including eight NCAA championships.
Claim to Fame: He twice coached the U.S. Olympic team and the national college player of the year award for men and women is named in his honor.
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Monterey was home to Pete Cutino. He was born and died there, starred as a high school athlete and gave of himself to the community during his retirement.
In between, Monterey generously loaned him to Cal, where over 26 seasons Cutino became perhaps the greatest collegiate men’s water polo coach in NCAA history.
Pete Cutino
Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics
Cutino, who lands at No. 34 in The Cal 100, guided the Bears to eight NCAA titles and four national coach of the year awards. Cal won it all in 1973, ‘74, ’75, ’77, ’83, ‘84 ’87 and ’88, Cutino’s final season.
From 1963 through ’88, his Cal teams were 519-172-10. Over the final 22 seasons during that stretch, the Bears won 81 percent of their matches.
Somehow, Cutino found time to coach the U.S. Olympic team in 1972 and ’76.
The Peter J. Cutino Award, honoring his legacy, is given annually to the top male and female collegiate water polo player in the country.
"He taught us that anything worth accomplishing would not come without discomfort. And he was always there to administer the discomfort,” said Kirk Everist, Cal’s current coach who went on from his undergrad days at Cal to play in two Olympics.
When Cutino died at 71 in 2004, Everist told the San Francisco Chronicle, “For me, it's as close to losing your father as you can get.”
Obviously, others felt the same way because 1,200 attended his memorial service.
Cutino’s teams at Cal set the standard. In addition to winning eight NCAA titles, the Bears were national runners-up three times, meaning they reached the title match in 11 of his final 16 seasons.
"Pete Cutino epitomized what a champion truly is," former Cal athletic director Steve Gladstone said.
Cutino was detailed and intense, and he was no wallflower on the pool deck during matches. "Pete was a pacer, a shouter and a congratulator," former Cal baseball coach Bob Milano said. "He was also a constant nagger of the officials, which I loved. He just had quite a presence.”
Pete Cutino was twice the U.S. Olympic team coach.
Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics
He has been honored so often it’s hard to keep count: College Swim Coaches Association Master Coach Award, considered the most distinguished accolade in aquatics; four-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year; UC Berkeley Alumni Centennial Award and Chancellors Commendation; Silver Pin Award from FINA; Cal Poly Athletics Hall of Fame (1989); US Water Polo Award, highest honor in the sport; Cal Athletic Hall of Fame (1994); USA Water Polo Hall of Fame (1995); Italian Hall of Fame (2002); US Congressional Award, as an educator and a coach; Olympic Club Hall of Fame (2007).
And, of course, the Monterey Peninsula Hall Of Fame (1999).
In addition to a number of books he wrote about water polo, Cutino penned Monterey: A View from Garlic Hill, a memoir on the local Italian-American community.
He was a star on the Monterey High School swim team, where his future wife, Louise, was a cheerleader.
Cutino attended Cal Poly, where he set water polo records and was a three-time all-conference selection. He prepared for his coaching success in Berkeley at Oxnard High School (1958-63), where his swim teams were 64-8 and won five county championships and his water polo squads assembled an 80-12 ledger.
He served as swim and water polo coach his first two years at Cal before future Hall of Famer Nort Thornton took over the swim program.
Even after his coaching run at Cal was over, Cutino remained closely connected to the Berkeley community. ”He was always going to Cal," said close friend Sal Cardinalli. "He went to meets, fund-raisers. He had a lot of pride in Cal. Cal was part of his life.”
At the same time, retirement provided Cutino the chance to give back to his hometown. He agreed to run the Monterey Sports Club and he volunteered as an assistant coach of the Carmel High girls water polo team.
Former Monterey Mayor Dan Albert, after Cutino’s passing, told the Chronicle, "I can't think of a guy that came back to his hometown who was more revered.”
Lots of folks at Cal feel the same way.
Cover photo of former coach Pete Cutino on the pool deck with his team courtesy of Cal Athletics
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo