Greg Boyer (water polo)

Gregory Vaitl Boyer (born February 5, 1958) is a former American water polo player who was a member of the United States men's national water polo team and won a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

Greg Boyer
Personal information
Full nameGregory Vaitl Boyer
NationalityAmerican
Born (1958-02-05) February 5, 1958
New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma materUC Santa Barbara
Height6 ft 2.5 in (1.89 m)
Weight209 lb (95 kg)
Spouse(s)Reenie Boyer (1985–present)
Websitelooplifewithgregandreeniee.blogspot.com
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportMen's water polo
PositionField
University teamUC Santa Barbara men's water polo
Club
  • Industry Hills
  • Santa Barbara Water Polo Club
  • Sunset Water Polo Club
  • Santa Barbara Masters
Turned pro1981
Medal record
Men's water polo
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1988 Seoul Men's water polo
Updated on 23:29, September 17, 2014 (UTC).

Playing career

Youth and collegiate

Boyer grew up in New York City and played water polo at Aviation High School.

He attended the University of California, Santa Barbara where he played on the Gauchos men's water polo team from 1976–1979.[1] He was a three-time All-American, being named to the first team in 1979.[2] The Gauchos won the 1979 NCAA Division I Men's Water Polo Championship with Boyer named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.[3]

Club

Boyer started his club career with now-defunct Industry Hills in 1981 with former Gaucho teammate Craig Wilson. With Boyer leading the team, Industry Hills were named the USWP National Outdoor Champions in 1981, 1982, and 1984. He left the club in 1985 to return to his collegiate stomping grounds, joining Santa Barbara Water Polo Club for 1986 and 1987. In addition to playing for Santa Barbara, Boyer was a member of Sunset Water Polo Club[4] from 1987 to 1988 and was a member of Sunset's 1988 USWP National Indoor Championship team.

In 1989, Boyer joined Santa Barbara Masters, a squad partially composed of the 1979 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos national championship team.[5]

International

Boyer's first accomplishments with the United States men's national water polo team came at the Universiade, otherwise known as the World University Games. In the 1979 Summer Universiade, he won a gold medal in Water polo at the 1979 Summer Universiade. He followed that up in the 1981 Summer Universiade with a silver medal in Water polo at the 1981 Summer Universiade.

He was a mainstay on the United States team for the FINA Water Polo World Cup and was named to the 1981, 1983, 1985, and 1987 teams. He won a silver medal in 1985. Boyer also competed in the FINA World Aquatics Championships for the United States, appearing in the 1982 and 1986 editions.

Boyer missed out on participating in the 1986 Goodwill Games due to a broken hand suffered on July 5, 1986[6] despite being already named to the roster.[7]

After missing out on being named to the national team for the 1984 Summer Olympics, Boyer was named to the team for the 1988 Summer Olympics as he neared the end of his international career. The United States lost to Yugoslavia in the finals of the Water polo at the 1988 Summer Olympics, but Boyer came away with an Olympic silver medal for his efforts.

Post-playing career

Boyer attended law school at Western State University College of Law and was admitted to the State Bar of California on June 28, 1993.[8]

Prior to the 1996 Summer Olympics, Boyer was selected to carry the Olympic Torch in Orange County on April 28, 1996.[9] He stayed close to the Olympic and water polo community, serving as a referee in the 2000 Summer Olympics and coached children at his local water polo club.[10]

Hall of Fame recognition

Boyer is a member of the Class of 1998 USA Water Polo Hall of Fame[11][12] and was inducted July 17, 1999.[13]

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.[14]

Boyer shot

Among his lasting records and achievements, Greg Boyer is credited with the creation of the "Boyer shot". This water polo move incorporates a quick, lateral movement coupled with a shot in order to get around opposing defenders' arms and catch goalkeepers off guard.[15][16][17]

See also

References
  1. "UCSB Men's Water Polo Record Book" (PDF). UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. June 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  2. "1979 MEN'S VARSITY ALL-AMERICA". Collegiate Water Polo Association. Archived from the original on April 30, 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  3. "All-Time Championship Records and Results" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  4. "Redwood Empire Water Polo". Redwood Empire Water Polo. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  5. "FINA World Masters Recap". USA Water Polo. September 7, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  6. "U.S. Beats Greece in Water Polo, 16-5". Los Angeles Times. July 6, 1986. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  7. "1986 Water Polo". Goodwill Games. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  8. "Attorney Profile". The State Bar of California. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  9. Cano, Debra (February 15, 1996). "COUNTYWIDE : Volunteers Earn Run With Olympic Torch". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  10. Dunn, Richard (December 9, 2002). "Greg Boyer". DailyPilot.com. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  11. "Greg Boyer (1998)". usawaterpolo.org. USA Water Polo. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  12. "Hall of Fame Inductees". usawaterpolo.org. USA Water Polo. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  13. "Water Polo". Los Angeles Times. July 16, 1999. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  14. "UCSB Gaucho Athletic Hall of Fame". UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  15. Solum, Dr. Jim (April 6, 2010). Science of Shooting: Water Polo Fundamentals. Lulu.com. p. 194. ISBN 978-0-557-34035-4. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  16. Solum, Dr. Jim (June 1, 2012). "WOMEN'S SHOOTING: PART 5". WaterPoloPlanet.com. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  17. Solum, Dr. Jim (February 1, 2011). "SMART LEGS: PART 3". WaterPoloPlanet.com. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
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