Gregg Emde was named the head coach of the men’s and women’s water polo programs in the summer of 2014. The Ballwin, Mo. resident brings over 20 years of playing and coaching experience to the position.
Emde began his competitive career at Parkway West High School in 1982 where he played for four years. He also was a part of the Daisy Water Polo Club from 1983 to 1985. He was named a Missouri High School Water Polo All-State Player in 1984, was a Junior Olympic bronze medalist the same year, and Parkway West High School won the Missouri State Championship his senior year.
Emde's playing days weren't done after high school. He became the captain and head coach of the Denison University Water Polo Club from 1985 to 1988, and then continued in a similar role at Ohio University from 1988 to 1990.
After finishing college, Emde was away from the sport for several years while he pursued a business career, but he returned to water polo as a volunteer coach in2000 when he started Mad Dog Water Polo, a developmental club for players ages eight to 18. That led to numerous other coaching opportunities over the next dozen years.
In 2002, he became the head coach for the Marquette High School varsity water polo team and also became the head coach of the varsity boys and girls swim teams in 2007. He started coaching the national prep, senior, silver and bronze groups at the Rockwood Swim Club in 2006 and was selected to coach the Midwest Zone Olympic Development Program for the top U18 players in five Midwest states the same year.
During his 10 year coaching tenure at Marquette High School, the water polo team advanced to six conference finals, winning the championship in 2008, the team made the Missouri State High School Final Four twice in 2002 and 2008, and he was named 2007, 2008, and 2010 Suburban West Coach of the Year. The boys swim team completed an undefeated season in 2007 and won the conference title the same year, then repeated in 2008.
During his tenure at Mad Dog Water Polo, he obtained Level III coaching status and was elected to the Missouri Water Polo Board of Directors. He was recently named the USA Water Polo Ted Newland National Developmental Coach of the Year for 2013 and his team just finished first in the U18 Midwest Junior Olympic Qualifier in Michigan. Under his direction, the club has become one of the most recognized, respected, and consistently best programs in St. Louis and the Midwest, boasting more players in the Olympic Development Program than any other in the area.
Emde switched careers from business to teaching in 2006 and was most recently a part of the staff at Marquette High School and Westview Middle School.
He graduated from Ohio University in 1990 with a bachelor's degree in economics and obtained a master's degree in teaching from Webster University in 2006. He's married to Sheila and has two sons. Steven currently plays water polo at the United States Naval Academy while Joshua plays at Washington-Jefferson College.
