Bill Harris
	Position: Head Coach Experience: 9th Year at Fordham Alma Mater: St. Francis College '68

- 2009 CWPA Northern Division Coach of the Year

Bill Harris enters his ninth season as Head Water Polo Coach at Fordham University, having elevated the team's play and expectations over the past seven seasons, including back-to-back trips to the Eastern Championship the past two seasons.

Harris guided the team to a third place finish at the 2010 CWPA Northern Division Championship, led by Ali Arat and Ryan Hultman, who both received Honorable Mention All-American honors by the ACWPC. For Arat, who ranked second in the NCAA in goal scoring, it was the first of many accolades he received, which included being named Second Team Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-America®. He was also the first water polo player to receive the Vincent T. Lombardi Award, as Fordham's Male Student-Athlete of the Year.

Prior to the 2010, Harris led the Rams to their best season under his tenure in 2009, receiving the 2009 CWPA Northern Division Coach of the Year award. The Rams captured a share of the CWPA Northern Division regular season title, and finished as runner-up at the CWPA Northern Division Championship. That run led Fordham to earn a berth at the Eastern Championship for the first time in over 20 seasons.

The Rams also received a number of accolades in 2009, led by Arat, who received Honorable Mention All-American honors from the ACWPC, as well as CWPA Northern Division Rookie of the Year and Rookie of the Eastern Championship accolades. Three players received All-Northern Division honors (Arat, Hultman, and Mikey Edwards), while four of them earned at least one weekly award from the CWPA. In addition to the athletic honors, five Rams were named to both the AWPCA All-Academic Team and the CWPA Scholar-Athlete Team.

In 2008, Harris guided the Rams to a 13-10 overall record, posting the team's first winning season since 1987, and ended the season with a fifth place finish at the Northern Division Championship. Fordham also had two players earn CWPA All-Northern Division honors.

Since 2004, Harris has brought respect back to Fordham, starting with eight overall wins and three conference victories in his first season. He quickly followed that up with nine victories in 2005, and has brought in quality recruiting classes each offseason.

In 2006, Harris did another solid job posting an 11-11-1 mark, the first season for Fordham at or above the .500 mark in over a decade, while in 2007, the Rams matched that win total (11), playing a number of ranked opponents, as well as making their first trip to the West Coast in over 20 years, posting a 5-2 mark over seven games.

Individually, Harris has helped eight Rams earn All-CWPA Northern Division honors in each of the last six seasons (Paul Shrewsbury - 2005 & 2007 Second Team; Todd Conway - 2006 First Team; Alex Powell - 2008 First Team; Timmy Will - 2008 Second Team; Ali Arat - 2009 & 2010 First Team; Ryan Hultman - 2009 & 2010 Second Team; Mikey Edwards - 2009 Second Team; Robert Fleming - 2011 Second Team).

Harris, who was the girls' varsity coach at Greenwich High School, has brought a plethora of experience to Fordham. Prior to Greenwich High School, he served as the travel team coach for Greenwich Youth Water Polo from 2000-03, while also serving as an Age Group coach for the New York Athletic Club from 1995-2003. Harris was also the head coach for the NYAC Men's Team from 1982-87.

A 1997 U.S. Water Polo Hall of Fame inductee, Harris had a prolific playing career at St. Francis College, where he was a 1966 NCAA All-American and a four-time ECAC All-Star Team selection, while helping St. Francis to four ECAC Championships and an undefeated conference record in those four seasons. He later was selected to the St. Francis College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990.

Following his collegiate career, Harris represented the New York Athletic Club from 1967-92, where he was a member of eight National Championship teams. He was selected First Team All-America eight times as a member of the NYAC, and was 1973 and 1977 MVP for the National Championship Tournaments.

Harris and his wife, Dorothy, have two sons, Andrew and Gavin, and currently reside in Rye, N.Y.