Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2006
Monte swam and played water polo for the Bruins in 1950 and 1951 after transferring in from Fullerton Junior College. He won the Bob Starr Memorial Trophy as the outstanding Bruin swimmer in 1951. He was a two-time southern division breaststroke champion at 200 yards and held the PCC record at 2:22.4 while also owning the Bruin record in the 100 yard breaststroke. Nitzkowski had a record of 22 wins in 24 starts in dual competition while at UCLA and was the first Bruin to ever make the NCAA meet twice earning All-America honors. Nitzkowski was a member of the US Olympic team in 1952 in the 200 meter breaststroke. In water polo, Nitzkowski was named first-team all southern division in 1951 as a Bruin. He has gone on to become one of the world's foremost authorities in water polo. From 1954-89, he coached Long Beach City College to 32 conference water polo championships and 12 conference swim titles. Nitzkowski also served as U.S. National Team Water Polo coach from 1967-1984 and coached the U.S. team in four Olympics including bronze in 1972 and silver in 1984. Nitzkowski was a 1991 selection to the International Swimming Hall of Fame and is a member of the U.S. Water Polo Hall of Fame.
