Peter Pass

Peter Pass was unquestionably the finest British water polo player in the 1950s and 60s. He joined the Polytechnic Club in 1949 and became a regular first team player the following year. His last game for the Poly was in October 1970 after a 21-year career. In his penultimate season he scored an astonishing 89 goals. When he joined the club, despite being one of the oldest water polo clubs in the country, they had never won the National Water Polo League title. Thanks to his leadership as both a player and then coach, however, they dominated the sport and won 17 titles between 1964-94. Pass also found time to serve as chairman of the National League between 1983-87.

When he retired from playing in October 1970, Pass’ international career had spanned 14 years from 1955 to 1969 and he had won a record 95 England and Great Britain caps. He appeared in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, the 1962 European Championship in Leipzig, and three editions of the West European Games in 1961, 1963 and 1965.

Pass was awarded the MBE for services to water polo in 1971, the first water polo player to be so honoured. In his later life, Pass lived in County Offaly, Ireland, and died in his adopted new homeland in 2012. Ironically, his death came only a couple of months before the start of the London Olympics, which saw a British water polo team play at The Games for the first time since Pass and team-mates appeared at Melbourne 1956.