Gabor Sarusi became San José State University's men's water polo Interim Head Coach at the start of the 2023 season. In his second season in 2024, Sarusi lead the Spartans to a record of 17-7 and finished the season ranked 10th in the final CWPA poll of 2024. The 17 wins were the most wins in a season since the program was reinstated in 2015. 10 of the 17 wins came over ranked opponents. Sarusi lead the Spartans to the WCC Tournament Final for the second consecutive season. Sarusi's overall major college head coaching record is 30-16.
In his first year as the Spartans' Interim Head Coach, Sarusi would lead SJSU in a historic 2023 season. The Spartans won the first-ever West Coast Conference Championship and qualified for the NCAA Men's Water Polo Championships for the first time since 1973. San José State would finish ranked tied for seventh in the nation in the final CWPA poll of 2023.
Originally an assistant coach in 2015 when the program was reinstated after a 34-year hiatus, Sarusi returned to the men's program in August 2019 as an associate head coach.
In between, he was San José State University’s women’s water polo head coach during the 2017 through 2019 seasons. Playing one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country and in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), the Spartans knocked one top-10 team in 2017 and 2019 and were ranked either 20th or 21st in the final Collegiate Water Polo Association's final national poll.
His players earned five MPSF post-season playing honors and one Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) honorable mention All-America recognition. The Spartans were named a ACWPC all-academic team in each of his three seasons as head coach and his players earned 35 ACWPC individual all-academic national mentions.
Sarusi also has head coaching experience at the high school and club levels. As the Mountain View (Calif.) High School head coach, his teams compiled a 73-38 win-loss record, won the 2012 De Anza League championship, advanced to the Central Coast Section championship’s semifinal rounds in 2012 and 2014 and quarterfinal rounds in 2011 and 2013. In club competition, Sarusi was the head coach of the Trojan Water Polo Club of Los Angeles in 2007 and the West Valley Water Polo Club of Saratoga, Calif., boys and masters teams in 2011.
The native of Csongrad, Hungary was a star player since his early teens and played in his country’s Division I Men’s league starting at age 14.
Sarusi came to the United States in 2005 and became a California Community College All-American player at West Valley College. He completed his college career at the University of Southern California (USC). With Sarusi, the Trojans reached the 2006 and 2007 NCAA Men’s Water Polo Championship final matches. In 2007, he was an honorable mention All-American, a second-team All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation honoree and a NCAA Championship all-tournament team selection.
The 2009 USC graduate was a Dean’s List student majoring in economics. Sarusi was named to the Associate of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) All-American Academic Team in 2006 and received the Trojans’ Marks Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award of Honor in 2008.
Following graduation, he accepted an assistant coaching position at Loyola High in Los Angeles. During the 2008 through 2010 seasons, Loyola’s varsity teams had an 80-12 win-loss record, won three Mission League championships and the 2009 California Interscholastic Federation (C.I.F) Division I State Championship.
He and his wife, LauraMae, are the parents of daughters AnnaBelle and Eloise.