George Oliver
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inducted 2024 |

The University of Miami is celebrated for its 5 football championships and 4 baseball titles. But the Hurricanes first team national championship in school history occurred in polo at the 1948 Men’s National Intercollegiate tournament.
It was the first of four consecutive national titles for the polo team, and all were coached by George Oliver, who was already an elite player when he was asked to start the program. John “Speed” Evans was on all four teams while Charles “Chuck” Bernard and Paul “Smoke” Heise competed on the last three teams. Jack Mather and Richard Knight were members on the first team.
The dominant Miami squad, which played its’ home games at the Orange Bowl, did not lose a match in the four years under Oliver’s tutelage in the school’s brief foray into the sport. They won 31 consecutive matches, beating all the traditional powerhouses such as Harvard, Yale, Cornell, and Princeton, along the way. In the 1951 final, Miami defeated Princeton, 12-5.
But the Hurricanes polo program was discontinued after the 1951 season due to a lack of support and budget. In fact, the team did not play in the Orange Bowl during the 1951 season because of financial losses during the previous season.
Oliver, who was born in 1911, grew up on a ranch in Salmon, Idaho where his father raised horses for the New York City police mounted unit. He didn’t take up polo until he was 23 years old, relatively late among his peers, but quickly rose to become one of the best. His skills, coupled with his organizational abilities and judgement of horses, enabled him to remain among the best players in the U.S. for decades.
Prior to coaching at UM, Oliver was a paratrooper during World War II and was awarded two Silver Stars and a Purple Heart during combat in the Philippines. Oliver, who passed away in 1994 at the age of 83, was inducted into the Polo Hall of Fame in 1991.
It was the first of four consecutive national titles for the polo team, and all were coached by George Oliver, who was already an elite player when he was asked to start the program. John “Speed” Evans was on all four teams while Charles “Chuck” Bernard and Paul “Smoke” Heise competed on the last three teams. Jack Mather and Richard Knight were members on the first team.
The dominant Miami squad, which played its’ home games at the Orange Bowl, did not lose a match in the four years under Oliver’s tutelage in the school’s brief foray into the sport. They won 31 consecutive matches, beating all the traditional powerhouses such as Harvard, Yale, Cornell, and Princeton, along the way. In the 1951 final, Miami defeated Princeton, 12-5.
But the Hurricanes polo program was discontinued after the 1951 season due to a lack of support and budget. In fact, the team did not play in the Orange Bowl during the 1951 season because of financial losses during the previous season.
Oliver, who was born in 1911, grew up on a ranch in Salmon, Idaho where his father raised horses for the New York City police mounted unit. He didn’t take up polo until he was 23 years old, relatively late among his peers, but quickly rose to become one of the best. His skills, coupled with his organizational abilities and judgement of horses, enabled him to remain among the best players in the U.S. for decades.
Prior to coaching at UM, Oliver was a paratrooper during World War II and was awarded two Silver Stars and a Purple Heart during combat in the Philippines. Oliver, who passed away in 1994 at the age of 83, was inducted into the Polo Hall of Fame in 1991.
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