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- Year:
- 1956-1965
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- Sports Played:
- Football & Aquatics Coach
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- Induction Year:
- 2009
Bio
In the 1950s and ’60s, Al Irwin was a fixture at Orange Coast College. After coaching stints at Union College (NY), Antioch HS, Valencia HS, the University of the Pacific and Newport Harbor HS, Irwin began his career at Orange Coast in 1956 as the head football coach. That year, his lone season as the Pirates’ head coach, he led his team to an 8–1–2 record, an Eastern Conference championship and a berth in the Potato Bowl. Illness forced Al out of football, but his coaching career continued as the Pirates swimming and water polo coach.
From 1957–65, Irwin’s water polo teams compiled a 136–74 record with two Eastern Conference championships and in that same span, he guided the swim program to a 114–21 record and eight consecutive EC titles. Following his Coast career, Irwin moved on to become the swimming and water polo coach at UC Irvine and his early guidance helped build the foundation to an Irvine aquatics program that ranks among the best in the nation.
Al spent 13 years at UCI from 1965–78 and he led the Anteater swim team to the school’s first-ever NCAA title. In 1970 he was the assistant coach with the UCI water polo team that won the team’s first-ever NCAA Division I championship. In addition to his coaching legacy at UCI, Irwin became the acting vice chairman of the UCI Department of Physical Education and assistant director of athletics until his retirement in 1978.
Prior to Coast, Irwin was a standout coach at Newport Harbor HS, as a football and swimming coach, guiding the Sailors’ swim program to 205 dual meet wins, 14 league championships and two CIF titles in eight years. As an athlete, Irwin graduated from Newport Harbor HS where he earned 15 varsity letters in athletics. From there, he went to play football at the University of the Pacific and earned All-Coast honors, while playing for legendary football coach Amos Alonzo Stagg.
A longtime lifeguard, in 1964, Al was presented with the American Red Cross Golden Whale Award as the outstanding life-saver in Orange County.
