Publication Date: Friday, December 17, 2004
WATER POLO
Azevedo gets his reward
Azevedo gets his reward
(December 17, 2004) Stanford star signs lucrative pro deal with Italian team
by Rick Eymer
Tony Azevedo's popularity soared earlier this week when he signed an 18-month contract to play water polo with a professional team in Italy.
Perhaps the greatest water polo player to have attended Stanford will likely become one of Europe's most popular players as a member of Bissolati Cremona. He joins his new team on Jan. 10, the midpoint of the current season.
With one fell swoop of his pen, Azevedo became one of the sport's top 10 paid players, and the highest paid American ever, with an incentive-laden contract that could be worth up to $275,000.
Azevedo was already a well-known player in Europe thanks to his performance with the USA National Team over the years, and with water polo a popular sport overseas, he could also become an icon.
Azevedo made graduating from Stanford a priority, something he accomplished last week with the end of the quarter. Besides playing professionally, Azevedo remains committed to the American goal.
"It's amazing and something that my dad's always talked about," Azevedo said. "For me, it's another step toward winning a gold medal in the U.S. I want to see how good I can get by playing with the best players in the world year round."
When Azevedo rejoins the U.S. National Team, he'll do so under a new coach. Ratko Rudic stepped down earlier this week to take the head coaching job in his home country of Croatia.
Azevedo, who leaves Stanford as the program's all-time leading scorer with 332 goals, signed the largest contract ever by a first-year player. He'll also become highly visible in the European market as companies are already lining up to offer him endorsement opportunities.
"Tony's contract means more than just dollars and cents," USA Water Polo Director of Media Relations Eric Velazquez said. "It shows that he possesses a star-quality that people are attracted to, that he is one of the best to ever play the game and that he deserves to be mentioned in the same class as the rest of the A-List athletes in the Olympics. This is a huge step forward for Tony and for our sport."
Azevedo, who played his first Olympic Games as an 18-year-old in Sydney, joins a team which includes two-time Italian Olympian Leonardo Sottani, and Hungarian standout Zolt Varga.
"I'm hoping that people will look at this and see that water polo may be bigger than they give it credit for," Azevedo said. "That this is something that they should look into more. I hope that it influences more kids to play and more people to come out and watch."
Azevedo is regarded as one of the game's most prolific scorers. At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, he was the second-highest scorer of the tournament with 15 goals. In 2003, Azevedo led all scorers with 33 goals at the Pan American Games and was first with 12 goals during the FINA World League.
Azevedo is again a finalist for the Peter J. Cutino Award, collegiate water polo's highest honor. He's already a three-time winner. He's favored to make it four in a row. The award will be officially announced in June.
Azevedo led Stanford to four NCAA title games and two national championships. During his tenure at Stanford, Azevedo led the Cardinal to a 91-16 record. Azevedo was named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Player of the Year for a fourth straight season after leading Stanford in scoring for a fourth straight year.
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