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December 11, 2011

In Memoriam: Gary Troyer (1940-2011)

Long-time Pomona-Pitzer swimming and water polo coach Gary Troyer passed away on December 10.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of such a good friend," said Pomona-Pitzer Athletic Director Charles Katsiaficas. "Coach Troyer was a giver. He loved Pomona College, and he loved teaching and coaching here, which was evident in the way he so generously served the students. We will all remember Gary for his loyalty, warmth, and willingness to give of himself. Since his retirement in 2004, he continued to serve the department, the College, and the community. Our thoughts and prayers are with Linda and his family."

Born in Oakland in 1940, Professor of Physical Education Gary Troyer dove into athletics at an early age. He graduated from John Burroughs HS in Burbank in 1958 after earning varsity letters and captaining the football and swim teams. Attending the University of Redlands, Coach Troyer was the frosh football captain and a three-year starter on the varsity team at offensive guard and defensive linebacker. In addition, he was a member of the swim team.

After graduating from Redlands in 1962, Coach Troyer earned a Master’s from Redlands in 1964. Coach Troyer began his coaching career in 1962 as an age-group swimming coach and then became the Head Coach of the Redlands Swim Club in 1967. He taught history at San Bernardino HS from 1963-1970, and he also coached the swimming team and football team from 1963-1967. From 1967-1970, Troyer coached the University of Redlands water polo and swimming teams.

In the fall of 1970, Coach Troyer started at Pomona College as the water polo and swimming coach. A quintessential NCAA Division III coach, he won SCIAC titles in men’s water polo (1981) and women’s swimming (1977 and 1978). Leading athletic teams with a precise understanding of the academic and athletic balance required at a highly rigorous institution, Coach Troyer mentored countless All-Conference swimmers and polo players, as well as numerous school-record holders and All-Americans. While at Pomona College, Coach Troyer taught SCUBA, Sailing, and Windsurfing, along with all of the Red Cross classes in First Aid, CPR, Life Saving and Water Safety.

During his career, Coach Troyer toured with SCIAC water polo players in the People’s Republic of China, coaching the undergraduates in tournament play against teams from Beijing, Nanking and Canton.

A noted chef, Coach Troyer often treated his teams and fellow department members to feasts of smoked salmon or carne asada on the deck of Haldeman Pool and to lobster cookouts, surfing and off-coast diving at his beachside cabin north of Ensenada, Mexico.

Married to wife Linda, Coach Troyer retired from coaching water polo in 2001 but continued to coach swimming and diving for three more years. Troyer then fully retired from Pomona in 2004, and was inducted into the Pomona-Pitzer Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005 for Distinguished Service. In 2007 Coach Troyer was awarded the SCIAC Distinguished Service Award.

Following his retirement, Coach Troyer brought his expertise in SCUBA skills as a volunteer diver for the Coast Keepers of Orange County, and he made trips to Borneo, Micronesia, Belize and Cozumel, Mexico. He also served as a member of the Board of Directors and volunteered for the Claremont Chapter of the Red Cross.