It would be nearly impossible to imagine water polo in San Diego for the last four decades without thinking of Doug Peabody. From the years he played for Crawford High School under the legendary Hall of Fame coach Dick Draz to his time building championship-caliber high school and club programs, Peabody is deeply etched into the water polo lore of America's Finest City.  Peabody has coached at every level in the San Diego area and beyond. He was an assistant head coach for the San Diego State women's water polo team. He was the first-ever men's USA cadet water polo coach. He also coached the US men's junior national team to three consecutive Pan American Championship titles. In 2002, he was named Developmental Coach of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee. In 2018, he was USA Water Polo's Legacy Award Winner.

Peabody's legacy is also permanently tied to the extraordinary history of two programs: the San Diego Shores and The Bishop's School in La Jolla, California. In 1992, Peabody founded the San Diego Shores, which has become one of the most successful age-group programs in USA Water Polo history. The Shores have claimed 35 national championships titles (including 22 at the Junior Olympics) and developed 450 athletes for college programs where many became captains, All-Americans and national champions. Some even reached the pinnacle of the sport, like 2012 Olympic champion Kelly Rulon and national-team mainstays like Alex Bowen, Brett Ormsby, Moriah Van Norman, and Gabby Stone.  At The Bishop's School, Peabody has been leading the boys' and girls' water polo programs for the past 26 years, guiding them to 32 boys' and girls' San Diego CIF Championships – including the 2024 San Diego girls' open division title.

Peabody also competed at the 1989 Maccabiah in Israel and, later, coached the US men's and women's teams to Maccabiah gold in 2013. Even now, he remains a fixture on the pool deck, coaching his children at both The Bishop's School and the San Diego Shores.