MALIBU, California – The Pepperdine University Athletics Department mourns the passing of Rick Rowland, who served as the school's first men's water polo and men's swimming coach in the 1970s and 1980s. He died last week at the age of 86.
 
Rowland was teaching and coaching at UC Santa Barbara when Pepperdine pursued him to develop the men's water polo and swim programs in 1975.
 
In 11 seasons (1975-85) as the water polo coach, he led the Waves to a 247-128-8 (.655) record. Pepperdine advanced to the NCAA Championships four times and finished no worse than ninth in the national rankings in his final 10 years. He led the Waves to PCAA titles in 1980 and 1984.
 
He had water polo players earn All-American honors 23 times and two went on to play in the Olympics, including current head coach Terry Schroeder. Also, Mike Grier was the 1984 National Player of the Year.
 
Rowland coached the men's swim team from 1976 to 1981, and again from 1984-86. The squad finished as high as 19th nationally in 1984.
 
In a 2005 feature, the Pepperdine Graphic wrote that "in his first year at Pepperdine, Rowland began the 'Athletes and Friends' Bible study. It was the first official Bible study at Pepperdine, with its goal to present Christ in a relative way on the college campus, to strengthen and nurture its Christian students and evangelize to non-Christians."
 
He helped establish campus ministries at many Southern California schools.
 
Rowland stepped down from coaching when the swim team was discontinued in 1986, but continued on at Pepperdine as a professor until his retirement in 2005.
 
Rowland began his college career as a freshman at Pepperdine, but transferred to Cal State Fullerton before graduating from Oklahoma.
 
His son, Rick Rowland Jr., both swam and played water polo at Pepperdine before graduating. He's now the head swimming coach at California Baptist and the elder Rowland helped as an assistant there until he retired at the age of 80.