Byline/Credit: United States Polo Association
Photo Credit: ©United States Polo Association
I/I LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
To be awarded only in exceptional circumstance to an individual who exemplifies the spirit of I/I by providing many years of service and commitment to growing young players in the sport and providing an outstanding example of dedication to the continued advancement of the I/I program.
Past Recipients
· Mike McCleary (2025)
· Tom Goodspeed (2024)
· Clyde Waddell (2023)
· Danny Scheraga (2022)
LOU LOPEZ
I/I Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Lou Lopez, presented by Liz Brayboy, pictured with Ellen Lopez and Bill Matheson. Photo Credit: ©United States Polo Association
I/I Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Lou Lopez, presented by Liz Brayboy, pictured with Ellen Lopez and Bill Matheson.
Lou Lopez began his polo journey as a high school sophomore, when he attended a clinic sponsored by Meadowbrook Polo Club (Old Westbury, New York) at Yale University in Bethany, Connecticut. That early introduction to the sport continued to develop during his time at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.
After graduation, Lopez taught high school in Connecticut while leasing horses from Yale Polo Club to play polo at Farmington Polo Club in Farmington, Connecticut. He eventually left teaching to become the coach and general manager of the Yale Polo and Equestrian Center. In 1986, he led Yale to a National Intercollegiate Championship victory over the University of Virginia (Charlottesville, Virginia), marking an early achievement in a career that would span more than five decades across coaching, club management, horse training and competition.
Over the next 20 years, Lopez managed polo clubs, trained and sold polo ponies and competed in both arena and outdoor competitions. His experience across multiple facets of the sport provided a foundation for his later work as a coach and leader in intercollegiate polo. He also served as the intercollegiate coaches’ representative on the I/I Leadership Committee, where he contributed to the continued growth of intercollegiate polo.
Now concluding a 23-year tenure as head coach of Virginia Polo Inc., Lopez leaves behind one of the most accomplished coaching records in collegiate polo. Under his leadership, UVA has won seven women’s and six men’s National Intercollegiate Championship titles.
His influence, however, extends beyond the championship record, with decades of coaching and mentorship helping shape generations of collegiate players and strengthen the programs he led. From his first introduction to polo as a teenager to more than 50 years spent competing, coaching, managing and serving the sport, Lopez has dedicated his career to the development of polo and its players, leaving a lasting mark on intercollegiate polo through his leadership, mentorship and commitment.
Photo Credit: ©United States Polo Association