Arrigoni Hall of Fame
Rob Calgi was the first water polo coach in the history of the program at Iona College. He coached the team from 1979 to 1990. A club sport from 1979-82, Calgi was instrumental in upgrading Iona water polo to varsity status in 1983.
In 1987, the water polo team was ranked #13 in the nation, Division I, the highest ranking at the time for any sport at the school. The team was ranked in the Top-20 from 1984 through 1990. Calgi coached teams finished in second place five times between 1985-89 in the Mid Atlantic Conference and earned a berth to the Division I Eastern Championships from 1984 onward- advancing to the semi-finals from 1985-87, placing third in 1987 and fourth in ’85-’86. From 1985-90 the team reached the 20 win plateau, and from 1981-89 the team racked up 45 consecutive home wins, an Iona record for all sports.
Calgi, a native of New Rochelle, NY, had a 208-133-2 (.609) overall record and a stellar 150-82 (.646) seven year varsity mark. A graduate of Trinity College with a BA in Economics, Calgi starred on the water polo team earning All-New England and NCAA All-East in 1979. He earned his MBA-Marketing from Pace University.
In addition to coaching at Iona, he served as coach, coordinator and player for the Hudson Valley Region Open water polo team in the Empire State Games, holding this post for twelve years (1979-90). In 1987, Calgi was inducted into the Empire State Games Hall of Fame as one of only 16 inductees including Olympians, Jeff Blatnick (wrestling), Diane Dixon (track), boxer Mike Tyson and NBA All-Star Chris Mullen. Calgi’s team won seven consecutive Gold Medals from 1980-86 and won ten Gold’s in 12 years. His team still owns the longest unbeaten streak in the ESG (32-0-2).
