HUNTINGTON BEACH, California, November 24. ANTON (Tony) Van Dorp passed away early last Thursday, November 18, 2010, after a year long battle with cancer. He was a member of the 1964 and 1968 Olympic water polo teams, played goalie for El Segundo and Long Beach Phillips "66" teams and was the premier goalie in the United States in the 1960's.
Tony had a distinguished twenty-one year military career as an air traffic controller in the U.S. Air Force. He was a veteran of the Vietnam war. Born in 1936 of Dutch parents, he gained U.S. citizenship in 1957. Tony had the unique experience of facing his younger brother in the 1964 and 1968 Olympics. His brother, Fred, played for the Dutch national team. Tony is survived by his three children, Fred, Helen, Kristie, and four grandchildren.
Van Dorp was among a group of athletes highlighted in a water polo feature in Sports Illustrated leading up to the 1968 Olympic Games. Below is an excerpt of the article which can viewed here.
But that's where Tony Van Dorp, the 31-year-old goalie, comes in. Van Dorp is big (6'5", 210 pounds) and smart and he is a veteran of international water polo. Born in Indonesia, he played for the Dutch National Team in 1954 and 1955 and has since been an AAU All-America for three straight years. He cruises in front of his net like some kind of mustached destroyer, rising out of the water to repel almost sure goals. On penalty shots, when a fouled opponent sets up 10 feet away with one chance to whip the ball past him, Van Dorp is the picture of composure. Gazing into the bleachers, up at the clouds, winking at friends, he will do anything he can to unnerve the shooter. At Winnipeg he stopped 50% of the penalty shots aimed at him. The going average is somewhere around 10%. "He steadies us," says Ashleigh, who plays in front of Van Dorp. "He's been around and he talks to us a lot. And we know that with him in the net one mistake isn't about to kill us."