John Tanner enters his 27th season at the helm of the Stanford women's water polo program in 2024. An experienced and enthusiastic coach, Tanner took on the developing program in 1998 and has since turned it into a nationally-ranked powerhouse that has produced nine NCAA Championships, seven MPSF Championships, 14 Olympians and dozens of U.S. Senior National Team members.
Under Tanner's watch, Stanford is the only women's water polo program in the nation to have competed at every NCAA Championship since the event's inception in 2001, and has finished in the top-three nationally each season since he came on board. Tanner, who holds a 622-89 (.874) career coaching record at Stanford, has tutored 12 ACWPC Players of the Year, seven Peter J. Cutino award winners combining for 10 honors and 55 ACWPC All-Americans earning 137 honors.
In June 2019, Tanner was inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame as part of its 35th class.
Stanford is coming off a stellar 2023 campaign, finishing 24-1 overall and defeating USC 11-9 to secure its ninth NCAA title in school history and repeat for the first time since 2014-15. Appearing in its 12th NCAA final in 13 seasons, the Cardinal avenged its only loss and closed out another stellar campaign which included a second straight MPSF crown and its best start to a season (16-0) since 2011.
An eight-time ACWPC Coach of the Year and six-time MPSF Coach of the Year, Tanner picked up his 600th career victory in a 25-8 win over Fresno State on Jan. 28.
Tanner's Cardinal teams reached the NCAA title game at each of the first three NCAA Tournaments from 2001-03, winning the program's first championship in 2002. Stanford was 71-6 over this span while Tanner again earned consecutive MPSF Coach of the Year nods in 2002 and 2003.
The 2003 team captured the program’s third MPSF Tournament title and featured MPSF Player of the Year Brenda Villa and Goalie of the Year Jackie Frank. Villa and Frank would become Stanford's first recipients of the Peter J. Cutino Award, capturing the honor in 2002 and 2003, respectively.
In his first year as head coach in 1998, Tanner led Stanford to a 29-6 record and a third-place finish at the Collegiate National Championships. That same year, he earned his first MPSF Coach of the Year honor after leading Stanford to what was at the time its most successful season in the history of the program.
A former Stanford water polo All-American in 1982, Tanner returned to his alma mater with a fortune of knowledge gained from years of coaching, both at the collegiate and international levels. Tanner has been involved with United States Water Polo in various capacities from 1988 to the present. Most recently, Tanner and the Cardinal represented the United States at the 2015 World University Games in Gwangju, South Korea.
Tanner was the assistant coach of the U.S. Men's National Team that placed sixth at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. He garnered the second World Championship of his career in 1997 as the Americans captured the World Cup in Athens, Greece.
Tanner began his international coaching career in 1988 as a scout coach for the U.S. National "A" Team. In December of 1998, he was appointed as head coach of the U.S. National "B" Team, a position he held until early 1991. In March of 1991, he was named the assistant coach of the U.S. Olympic Team. He helped the U.S. squad capture gold at the 1991 World Cup and a fourth-place finish at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
In 1980, while a student-athlete at Stanford, Tanner became involved with coaching when he served as the head coach at Menlo-Atherton High School for one season. He then coached Menlo School for the 1983 season. In 1984, Tanner served as an assistant coach for the Stanford men's water polo team under his former coach Dante Dettamanti, when the team advanced to the NCAA title match and finished the year with a 25-5 mark.
Following the 1984 season, Tanner was hired as the head coach of the men's water polo team at the University of the Pacific. In 1988, he was named the school's Director of Aquatics and the head coach of the men's swimming program, holding all three titles until his appointment at Stanford in 1996. His teams finished in the top 15 in the nation all of his 12 years and in the top-10 each of his last 10 years. Tanner captured Big West Conference Coach of the Year in 1991, and in 1993 his squad finished fifth at the NCAA Championships.
As the men's swimming coach at Pacific, Tanner led the Tigers to a top-20 finish at the NCAA Tournament and coached Brad Schumacher, Pacific's first and only Olympic gold medalist in any sport. Tanner served as Schumacher's coach at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, where he earned two gold medals as a member of the U.S. 4x100-meter and 4x200-meter free relay teams.
Originally recruited from Menlo-Atherton High School to swim at Stanford, Tanner instead played on the water polo team his freshman year, beginning a career (1978-82) that spanned three national championships and culminated in All-America honors his senior year. Tanner, a left-handed driver, started for the Cardinal in 1981 and helped lead Stanford to a perfect 31-0 record and its fourth national crown. The undefeated season was only the second in NCAA water polo history. Tanner ranked sixth on the team in goals in 1981, with 27, and was named All-America Honorable Mention.
In 1982, he finished his career with a 48-goal performance, tying for second on the squad, and helped lead the Cardinal to a 27-5 record and its third straight NCAA championship match appearance. Tanner was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team and earned All-America honors.
Tanner graduated in December 1982 with a bachelor's degree in political science. In addition to coaching, Tanner has been a prominent member of several committees with United States Water Polo. He has served on the men's and women's National Team Head Coach Selection Committees, the Men's International/Olympic Committee and the National Coaches Committee. Tanner is also a member of the American Water Polo Coaches Association and United States Water Polo, Inc.
Tanner’s Year-By-Year Record
| Year | School | Record | Conference | National Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Stanford | 24-1 | 5-1/1st MPSF | NCAA Champions |
| 2022 | Stanford | 25-2 | 5-1/1st MPSF | NCAA Champions |
| 2021 | Stanford | 13-6 | 8-4/3rd MPSF | NCAA Semifinalist |
| 2020 | Stanford | 15-1* | 1-0* | *Partial season due to COVID-19 |
| 2019 | Stanford | 23-2 | 6-0/1st MPSF | NCAA Champions |
| 2018 | Stanford | 20-4 | 3-2/3rd MPSF | NCAA Runner-Up |
| 2017 | Stanford | 23-3 | 5-1/2nd MPSF | NCAA Champions |
| 2016 | Stanford | 23-6 | 4-2/3rd MPSF | NCAA Runner-Up |
| 2015 | Stanford | 25-2 | 6-0/1st MPSF | NCAA Champions |
| 2014 | Stanford | 25-1 | 6-0/1st MPSF | NCAA Champions |
| 2013 | Stanford | 29-3 | 6-0/1st MPSF | NCAA Runner-Up |
| 2012 | Stanford | 26-2 | 7-0/1st MPSF | NCAA Champions |
| 2011 | Stanford | 28-1 | 7-0/1st MPSF | NCAA Champions |
| 2010 | Stanford | 26-3 | 7-0/1st MPSF | NCAA Runner-Up |
| 2009 | Stanford | 26-4 | 6-1/2nd MPSF | 3rd |
| 2008 | Stanford | 27-5 | 11-1/2nd MPSF | 3rd |
| 2007 | Stanford | 27-3 | 12-0/1st MPSF | NCAA Runner-Up |
| 2006 | Stanford | 24-5 | 10-2/3rd MPSF | 3rd |
| 2005 | Stanford | 21-7 | 9-3/3rd MPSF | NCAA Runner-Up |
| 2004 | Stanford | 19-5 | 9-1 MPSF | 3rd |
| 2003 | Stanford | 21-3 | 9-1 MPSF | NCAA Runner-Up |
| 2002 | Stanford | 23-2 | 10-1 MPSF | NCAA Champions |
| 2001 | Stanford | 27-1 | 10-0 MPSF | NCAA Runner-Up |
| 2000 | Stanford | 28-5 | 8-1 MPSF | 3rd |
| 1999 | Stanford | 25-6 | 8-1 MPSF | National Collegiate Runner-Up |
| 1998 | Stanford | 29-6 | 8-1 MPSF | 3rd |
| 26 seasons | 622-89 (.874) |
Accolades and Honors
| Year | Honor |
|---|---|
| 2023 | ACWPC National Coach of the Year |
| 2022 | ACWPC National Coach of the Year |
| 2020 | USOPC College Coach of the Year |
| 2019 | ACWPC National Coach of the Year |
| 2019 | MPSF Coach of the Year |
| 2017 | ACWPC National Coach of the Year |
| 2015 | ACWPC National Coach of the Year |
| 2014 | ACWPC National Coach of the Year |
| 2012 | ACWPC National Coach of the Year |
| 2011 | ACWPC National Coach of the Year |
| 2008 | MPSF Coach of the Year |
| 2007 | MPSF Coach of the Year |
| 2003 | MPSF Coach of the Year |
| 2002 | MPSF Coach of the Year |
| 1998 | MPSF Coach of the Year |