Lou Handley

Louis de Breda Handley, born Luigi de Breda in Rome on 14 February 1874, was an Italian-born American freestyle swimmer, water polo player and coach who died on 28 December 1956. The son of the American sculptor Francis Montague Handley, he moved to New York in 1896 and added his father's surname to his own. At the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis he won gold in the 4x50 yard freestyle relay and captained the New York Athletic Club water polo team to a second gold. He served as head water polo referee at the 1920 Olympics and was the first official head coach of the United States women's swimming team at the 1924 Games. As coach of the Women's Swimming Association of New York he trained Ethelda Bleibtrey, Gertrude Ederle and Aileen Riggin.