PLAYER PROFILE: Rich Offsay '05, Men's Water Polo

Through three coaching changes and rollercoaster-like seasons, co-captain Rick Offsay was a much-needed presence for the Harvard men’s water polo team.

The towering 6’5 hole set was team captain for two years and led the Crimson through a difficult 2003 season into a successful 2004. The only thing more helpful to the team than his offensive prowess was the commitment and heart he employed to keep his teammates focused.

Glimpses of Offsay are sometimes difficult to catch at matches, mostly because he is constantly thrust underwater. But somehow, when it counted, Offsay pulled himself up and jackknifed the ball into the net, notching the most goals on the team.

At the Northern Championships, Offsay took a beating from Brown in the semifinal and was roughed up even further by St. Francis. But instead of hopping out of the pool, the aching Offsay toughed it out to notch five goals on the weekend—one of which immediately after being kneed in the head by a St. Francis player. Offsay also tallied nearly half of the team’s goals at Easterns.

That’s just what the Crimson is used to getting out of Offsay, and that’s exactly what the team is going to miss when he’s gone.

In the Crimson’s last two regular-season games against Iona and Fordham, Offsay’s performance helped catapult the team to 7-1 in the Northern Division. The second place standing guaranteed the team a bid to the postseason tournaments. Offsay was unstoppable against Iona, tallying a total of five goals in the team’s 11-9 win.

Harvard turned its season around with a long-awaited, 8-7 win over MIT. Offsay sparked the offense and helped the Crimson reverse its bad luck against the Engineers with two goals in the first period.

Not only will the team miss his offense, but Offsay makes intangible contributions that his teammates are quick to acknowledge. Junior goaltender Robbie Burmeister dubbed Offsay the “voice of reason,” who calms the team down and helps its members focus. He also noted that the resilient senior leads by example, continuing to play no matter how much he might be hurting.

Offsay’s outstanding play was widely recognized. In addition to being named to the Academic All-Ivy team, the hole set was an honorable mention All-American and a member of the second team All-East.

Luckily, the Harvard Law School-bound senior will still be around to lend his teammates advice. Offsay is taking a year hiatus, and will be seen assistant coaching next season before he goes abroad in the spring to play professionally.

—Staff writer Megha Parekh can be reached at parekh@fas.harvard.edu.