Ricardo Azevedo (born August 24, 1956) is a Brazilian professional

water polo Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with t ...

coach.

Biography

Born in Brazil, Azevedo played on the Brazilian National Water Polo Team from 1974 to 1980. He was twice voted Brazil's "Player of the Year". In 1976, his team won the gold medal in the South American Games. Azevedo received his Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Long Beach in 1980. After his playing career, Azevedo became a water polo coach and is now considered one the premier coaches in the world. Azevedo was Head Coach for the USA Men's Water Polo Team, USA Junior Team, and at

Long Beach State University California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universitie ...

. Azevedo became head coach of RN ElettroGreen Camogli in 2007, unexpectedly leading his young team to the division Championship title game in 2008. Azevedo is unique among the global water polo community due to his language skills that have observed his coaching international teams in English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Japanese. Azevedo has coached several Olympians since their youth including his son

Tony Azevedo Anthony Lawrence Azevedo (born November 21, 1981) is a Brazilian-born American water polo player. He is a 2008 Olympic silver medalist and a five-time Olympian (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016). Azevedo ranks fourth on the all-time scoring list ...

who was a four-time All American and

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

Player of the Year at Stanford University and serves as Captain of the Men's Water Polo Team for the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Olympics, and his daughter Cassie who was a two-time All-American water polo player at Long Beach State. For the 2012 Summer Olympics, Azevedo is the head coach of the Chinese Men's Water Polo National team.Trevor Freeman
Interview with Ricardo Azevedo Men's Coach of China
''Water Polo Planet'', July 15, 2012 He was later moved to coach the Chinese Women's National Water Polo Team, leading them for the 2016 Rio Olympics. However, after a lackluster showing at the Olympics where China finished in second-last place, he was sacked.

Personal life

Ricardo Azevedo is the father of

, athlete and captain of the US national team, and Cassie, also a water polo player.

Notes

Azevedo met his wife Libby when he was an exchange student at Long Beach.

References

External links

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Many Articles Written by Ricardo Azevedo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Azevedo, Ricardo 1956 births Living people Water polo players from Rio de Janeiro (city) Brazilian male water polo players Brazilian water polo coaches United States men's national water polo team coaches China women's national water polo team coaches Water polo coaches at the 2016 Summer Olympics Brazil men's national water polo team coaches California State University, Long Beach alumni