Hall of Fame: Les Cutler (Newport Harbor)

Richard Dunn

Bound and determined to return to sunny Southern California where

he was born and raised for the first 11 years of his life, Les Cutler

made good on a self-proclaimed promise after an All-American swimming

career at the University of Iowa.

“I always had fond memories of California and always said when I

graduate from Iowa I was going to come out here -- in whatever profession

I had,” said Cutler, a longtime teacher and coach who said he is in his

“late 50s,” is officially retired, but you’d never know it if you

followed him around Newport-Mesa School District campuses.

“I retired last year from teaching, but the district asked me to come

back to continue the honors program (which he started six years ago at

Costa Mesa High).”

An aquatics guru, Cutler stayed close to the water once he returned to

the Southland. His father, George, was a Chrysler executive and accepted

a transfer from Whittier to Grosse Point, Mich., where Les attended high

school and became a three-time All-American swimmer.

At Iowa, Cutler was a four-time NCAA All-American swimmer, placing

second his senior year at the 1964 NCAA Championships in the 200-meter

backstroke (2:02.4).

Cutler, who later finished fourth at the U.S. Olympic trials in that

event, was introduced shortly thereafter to Bill Jewell, who taught

Cutler how to paddle a kayak around Newport Harbor and the Upper Newport

Bay.

Working hard and picking up the skills of kayaking quickly, Cutler

became a training and competitive partner with Jewell and reached the

1968 Mexico City Olympic Games in the K-4.

Cutler made the U.S. Olympic Rowing Team in the K-1 after finishing

second at the trials, but was beckoned to join three others in a boat

(along with Jewell) at the Games.

When Cutler arrived in California after college, he accepted his first

teaching and coaching job for $5,289 a year at Long Beach Jordan, where

he lasted three years.

“Then I decided to take Ed Newland’s advice and take the Estancia

position (as water polo and swimming coach),” said Cutler, who coached

the Eagles from their inception (1965) to 1993, when he transferred to

Costa Mesa.

Cutler helped launch an integration program at Costa Mesa with

sophomore English and social studies students. “It’s the only

(integration program) in the district,” said Cutler, who teaches on a

part-time basis (two classes) at Costa Mesa, while continuing as a

lower-level aquatics coach at Newport Harbor under Bill Barnett.

Following his long coaching stint at Estancia, Cutler was asked by

Barnett to join his staff as a part-time coach, then later committed to

coaching full-time at Newport Harbor.

“Once Coach Barnett opens the door, he has a way of pulling you all

the way in,” Cutler said.

“My return (to coaching water polo in the early 1990s at Newport after

taking a few years off at Estancia) was purely based on being able to

work with Coach Barnett, based on his knowledge and his background ...

he’s very up front, and very honest about (coaching). I was able to learn

immensely from him. He’s highly energetic and the most highly motivated

coach that I’ve ever seen. I have a tremendous amount of respect for his

ability and his commitment and his demands -- and his record proves it.

“I said if I’m going to Newport Harbor, I’m working with a man with

tremendous tradition. I hadn’t been involved in that much of a winning

tradition (at Estancia), so I accepted the challenge and have been doing

so ever since I came down there.”

When girls water polo became a CIF Southern Section-sanctioned sport,

Cutler became the frosh/soph and junior varsity girls coach at Newport

Harbor. Cutler was hesitant initially because he’d never coached girls,

but wanted to support Barnett and said he’d try it. He has no regrets.

“There are close to 50 girls in the program,” Cutler said. “Coach

Barnett takes half at the varsity level and I take all the new incoming

freshmen and experienced sophomores and some JV players and they train

with me.”

Cutler, who still has the Swedish handmade kayak he and Jewell used as

a training boat in the 1960s, is the latest honoree in the Daily Pilot

Sports Hall of Fame.

Cutler, a bachelor who lives in Costa Mesa, enjoys still spending time

with his father, an Irvine resident who was born in 1906 and played

football at Occidental College.