Stan Cole began swimming competitively at the age of eight, and by 12 he began playing water polo and also coaching swimming.
Cole would go on to become one of the most successful athletes in USA Water Polo history. And one of the reasons was that he made up his mind that he knew what he wanted—and he had the determination to fulfill that desire. Cole was totally focused on his goals, and he never let distractions get in the way.
As a freshman at Whittier High School, he helped lead his team to an undefeated season and a CIF Championship. To cap off his high school career Cole received the highest honor for an athlete at his school, garnering Best Athlete of the Year honors—the first time a non-football player received the award. After he graduated, Cole attended UCLA on an athletic scholarship for both water polo and swimming.
In 1963, he led the UCLA freshman in scoring with 53 goals in 10 games. That performance led being chosen for the U.S. Water Polo Team in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. While there he celebrated his 19
thbirthday and had the honor of receiving a card from the mayor of Tokyo. Over his career at UCLA he continued to play very well, landing a selection to the All-AAWU and All-American teams in each of his seasons. Cole perfected his water polo skills by doing double duty with the UCLA Varsity Swim Team on which he became an outstanding butterfly sprint swimmer.
By the end of his UCLA swimming career, Cole held an NCAA record while earning All-American honors each season. His career highlights in swimming include winning the 1965 PAC-10 100-yard Butterfly Championship and taking home eight All-American awards during the AAU competition. Cole's accolades continued in 1967 as he was named AAU American Water Polo Player of the Year and won the Gold Medal at the Pan American Games. At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Cole represented Team USA, which took fifth place.
On top of his outstanding water polo and swimming career, Cole served his country as an officer in the U.S. Navy following his UCLA ROTC. Following the 1968 Olympics, he joined his ship the Terrell County LST 1157, which was located off the tip of Saigon. Aboard the ship Cole was a gunnery officer, deck officer, and nuclear weapons officer. The ship traveled to Vietnam, Subic Bay, Philippines, Hong Kong, and Yokosuka, Japan. Following his tour of duty on the Terrell County, Cole transferred to the Iwo Jima LPH, which was stationed in San Diego. His ship would make stops in Hawaii, Singapore, and Okinawa, and perhaps Cole's most memorable onboard moment occurred on April 17, 1970, when he and his crew picked up the Apollo 13 astronauts and capsule from the ocean.
Water polo would come calling back to Cole after he left the Navy in 1972 as a lieutenant to train for the 1972 Munich Olympics. He would be the only member of the squad also to have played on the 1964 and 1968 Olympic Teams. And of those three Games, '72 was his best, as he scored six of his career 11 Olympic goals in Munich, leading Team USA to the Bronze Medal. That broke a 40-year water polo medal drought for the United States.
Cole's water polo career culminated with his election to the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame in 1984 and to the International Water Polo Hall of Fame in 1986. He would go down in UCLA history as being the first water polo player inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990. He also was one of six Bruins and 16 players named to the Pac-12 All-Century Team. Cole also has been honored by his high school alma mater, getting inducted into the Whittier High School Hall of Fame in 2015.
