DON WATSON

Steve Virgen

In 1980, Don Watson’s job suited his laid-back persona.

He was content, working as a night operations manager at a ski

resort near Lake Tahoe. But that’s where fate stepped in and, by

chance, he saw Sue Brown, who told him of a job opening at Orange

Coast College.

A year later, Watson went to work with Brown, an athletics

administrator who hired Watson as the men’s and women’s swim coach.

Watson found his niche and, ever since, has been taking pleasure in

coaching athletes.

He has also been rather successful. He has guided his teams to 17

state championships and 32 conference championships in men’s and

women’s swimming and women’s water polo.

“It made me feel really good when a team won a championship, to

see how happy the kids were and how proud they were,” Watson said.

“Over the years, you get letters from the kids that it was meaningful

and that re-energizes you to go out and work and continue to coach.”

Though he enjoyed his job, there was a point he thought it was

coming to an end. After nearly 20 years of coaching, Watson thought

about resigning. He took a leave of absence in 1999 with the intent

he would stop coaching.

“I thought I had done enough,” Watson said. “But in 2000, I

reconnected with Teri and she was the one that got me excited again.

I wanted to coach again.”

Teri is Watson’s wife. They were friends at California High in

Whittier, but fell in love when they met again at their 30-year high

school reunion about four years ago. They were married four months

after that reunion.

“She has been magic for me,” Watson said. “We were just friends

[in high school] because I was too chicken to ask her out.”

While at California, Watson competed in water polo and swimming.

He then went on to play water polo at UC Santa Barbara and, later,

Long Beach State. He said it’s ironic that he’s coaching swimming now

because he always thought the sport was boring.

“I’m pretty good at getting them to go pretty fast and helping

them grow up a little,” Watson said.

Watson shared state Coach of the Year honors with Dave Salo for

guiding the men’s and women’s swim teams last spring. The women won

the state title and the men finished third. Both teams won the Orange

Empire Conference championship.

“No one does it on their own,” Watson said. “Both the summer

program and the college teams have had many people working to make

them memorable experiences for the kids.”

In addition to coaching at OCC, Watson has developed summer swim

programs for children.

“The thing I’m most proud of is the summer program for the kids,”

Watson said. “Teri and I really enjoy watching the girls play for

Newport Harbor [High] water polo because most of the kids on the team

got started with us. What really is a kick is watching the girls.

When we had them, they were little girls wearing pigtails and curly

socks, and to see them play so tough is really fun.”

While at OCC, Watson said he has enjoyed working for Fred

Hokanson, the school’s athletic director and dean of athletics.

Watson also enjoys teaching physical education at OCC.

Watson, 51, the latest honoree of the Daily Pilot Sports Hall of

Fame, lives in Newport Beach with Teri.