Newland Gives to UCI Water Polo

Ted Newland, the UC Irvine water polo coach and fitness buff who at age 63 still does thousands of sit-ups a day, said Monday he is on the verge of retirement--but that he’ll be back to coach the Anteaters next season anyway.

With Irvine facing an impending budget crisis that could be as constricting as one that prompted UCLA to drop its water polo program recently, Newland last week donated $20,000 of his own money to the Irvine water polo program, and now is seeking to help himself and his program by accepting a university offer of enhanced retirement.

If the details are worked out by the April 1 deadline, Newland officially will retire, only to return next season for his 26th year as coach, designated as a part-time employee with no benefits.

“Then I won’t have to teach classes anymore, and I’ll have more time to devote to water polo,” said Newland, who has coached Irvine to three national championships. He reached his 500th victory last season, but also endured the first losing season in the team’s history.

Newland, heavily involved in an attempt to revive the UCLA program, announced last week at an Irvine fund-raising meeting that he was donating $20,000 to Irvine’s program, which did not appear to be in imminent danger.

“I don’t feel my program’s threatened, but I don’t want to see any programs cut at Irvine,” Newland said. “It was something I felt I should do.”

Newland’s donation represents nearly a fifth of Irvine’s annual water polo budget, and more than a third of his own salary.

“I figure it’s something that had to be done,” said Newland, who makes approximately $53,000 a year. “I’ve always donated quite a bit, $5,000 a year the past 15 years or so. I’m a very strong believer that if you want people to give, it’s important that you give yourself. If you want people to be physically fit, you yourself should be physically fit.”

Irvine, which has said it probably will have to consider cutting sports in the wake of drastic University of California tuition increases, is in the midst of a fund drive in which it is seeking to raise $600,000--hundreds of thousands more than the athletic program ever has before.

“We’re going to have trouble with funding,” Newland said. “I know we’re not going to raise $600,000. That may be being pessimistic.”

Although his donation probably will help other programs indirectly, the money Newland gave will help fund his own program, not others.

“I’m not that generous,” Newland said. “It will go to water polo. I’m looking after my program, trying to help my program.”

The school announced that the money would fund scholarships, but Newland said that his donation would probably not increase the number of water polo scholarships, but only help pay for existing commitments.

In fact, Newland said, it is possible that Irvine will not offer new water polo scholarships after this year. He is one of a group of water polo coaches who are considering cutting costs by agreeing not to offer scholarships other than those based on need.

“You can’t keep running in the red all the time. You have to suck in at the belt. The first thing you get rid of is aid, then assistant coaches. The last thing is programs.”

For now, Irvine’s program is only looking forward to the future--as is its coach.

“I don’t know when I’m going to quit,” Newland said. “I don’t plan to quit. I might end up coaching till I’m 80.”

Times staff writer Martin Beck contributed to this story.