Tony Azevedo
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Anthony Lawrence Azevedo (born November 21, 1981 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is an American water polo player and a graduate of Stanford University. Nicknamed "The Savior" at one point, he is considered to be one of the best American water polo players in recent memory.
Although he was born in Brazil, his family moved to California when he was 1 month old. When he was four, Azevedo suffered a fall that severed his trachea and esophagus. Although his heart stopped beating on the operating table for a period of four minutes before doctors were able to revive him, he made a complete recovery and went on to excel in this most strenuous of sports.
During his four years at Wilson Classical High School in Long Beach, California, his team won four California Interscholastic Federation championships and he was named MVP all four years. Azevedo led Stanford's men's water polo team to two NCAA championships (in 2001 and 2002), and he represented the United States at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. At the 2004 Olympics, Azevedo was second on the tournament’s goals scored list with 15. He set a school freshman scoring record (68 goals), a single-season school record as a sophomore (95, or 3.4 goals a game) and, scored a school record 332 career goals in four years at Stanford. For each of his four years in college, Azevedo was honored as the most outstanding male player of the year with the Peter J. Cutino Award – water polo’s version of the Heisman Trophy.
In 2004 after graduating from Stanford University with a degree in International Relations, Azevedo signed a professional water polo contract with Bissolati Cremona (Italy) that will place him among the top 10 paid players in the sport.
The Azevedo family is a water polo dynasty. His father, Ricardo, played on the Brazilian national water polo team and coached him throughout his age group and high school career. The older Azevedo is Head Water Polo Coach both of US National Team and also at Long Beach State University. Tony's sister Cassie is a two-time All-American water polo player at Long Beach State.
[edit] External links
- Azevedo's Official Stanford Athletics Biography
- Tony Azevedo Biography on Mikasa Sports
- Tony Azevedo's U.S. Olympic Team bio
