Ted Minnis has coached at just about every conceivable level of amateur water polo. He’s coached youth teams, he’s coached club teams, and he’s coached high school teams—sometimes all at the same time.

But Minnis, a 19-year coaching veteran, has never coached a college team.

That will change Sep. 4 when Minnis will stand on the pool deck at MIT with the Harvard men’s water polo team in its first contest of the 2010 season.

On Friday, Harvard athletics director Bob Scalise announced Minnis as the new head coach of both the Crimson’s men’s and women’s water polo squads. He will take over for Erik Farrar, who stepped down in May after six seasons at the helm.

“I’ve coached college-level athletes and I have had a lot of kids go on to play in college, so I know how [to work with college-level athletes],” Minnis said. “I am just going to keep doing what I’ve been doing. I’m not going to come in and try and reinvent the wheel.”

What Minnis has been doing has led his teams to success.

During his 11-year tenure as head coach of the Castilleja School girls’ water polo team,

Minnis’ squad reached five Central Coast Section semifinals and made one finals appearance.

As coach at the Stanford Club, a post he held simultaneously with his position at Castilleja, Minnis took home a US Club Championship and two bronze medals at the Junior Olympics.

These accomplishments helped Minnis earn the head coaching position for the Olympic

Development Program Pacific Zone three years ago. Since he took over, his team has earned two silver medals at the 16 and Under Olympic Development Regional Championship and Zone Championship.

But none of these coaching positions could keep Minnis from moving east when he was offered the Harvard job.

“It’s a great opportunity at a great institution,” Minnis said. “I couldn’t pass up that

opportunity.”

Minnis learned of the job opening through a handful of players he had coached who had gone on to play for the Crimson. Minnis’ former players encouraged him to apply for the job.