About the Drew R. Bauer Memorial Water Polo Scholarship
Drew Bauer is fondly remembered as a light-hearted man with an infectious personality that people naturally gravitated towards. He put people at ease and made everyone feel as though they were his lifelong friend.
Drew was born in Iowa and grew up in Oregon, Hawaii, and Florida. His passion for water sports began when he was a child. He played water polo throughout his life and was the captain of his high school and college teams. Following his undergraduate education at the University of Florida, he interned with the USOC planning committee for the Atlanta Olympics and continued to play, coach, and promote the sport of water polo. He was most comfortable in the pool and loved rocking a speedo, especially when it embarrassed his kids.
Before he passed in August 2020 he was a very active member of the water polo community in Phoenix, specifically Scottsdale Water Polo. As a tribute to his life his friends in the water polo community, initiated by Gene Dafoe, decided to create a memorial to Drew both in the sport he loved, as well as in an effort to support the growth and education of local college student-athletes. From this idea, the Drew R. Bauer Memorial Water Polo Scholarship was born. Its main goal is to support student-athletes participating in the men’s and women’s water polo program at OUAZ.
The Drew Bauer scholarship shall be awarded to a student attending OUAZ who is a member of the water polo team. The primary intent of the scholarship is to assist in the recruitment and retention of OUAZ water polo student-athletes. The scholarship shall be awarded based on the recommendation of the OUAZ water polo head coach, or in his absence, by the OUAZ athletic director. The scholarship shall be awarded without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation or disability.
Drew Bauer was a prominent member of the water polo community in Arizona. He had a passion for developing this sport in the valley and this scholarship will continue his legacy. His legacy also carries on in the lives he touched including family, many dear friends, and colleagues who remember him as a genuine man who always put a smile on their faces. His memory lives on in the hearts of people he’s impacted, especially through water polo.