A transformational $26 million gift from longtime UC Berkeley champions Ned and Carol Spieker has created an endowment to provide dedicated funding and lasting support for the men’s swimming & diving and water polo programs for years to come.
In recognition of the Spiekers’ generosity, the men’s swim head coach position will be named the Ned Spieker Men’s Swim Head Coach in perpetuity, while the men’s water polo head coach will carry the title of Ned Spieker Men’s Water Polo Head Coach for twenty years.
“Ned and Carol Spieker have been extraordinary partners to UC Berkeley for decades, and this transformational gift exemplifies their unwavering commitment to our student-athletes and our institution,” said Chancellor Rich Lyons. “This endowment provides the kind of long-term stability that is essential in collegiate athletics for sustaining excellence. Having endowed coaching positions and operational support for our men’s aquatics programs will be invaluable.”
Carol and Ned Spieker
For Ned Spieker ’66, a Cal graduate who played water polo under legendary coach Pete Cutino, this latest gift represents the culmination of more than four decades of support for Cal aquatics. His philanthropic involvement began in the 1980s when he contributed to renovating the original pool, now named Spieker Aquatics Complex, followed by his leadership role in the “More Water” campaign that helped create the current Legends Aquatic Center.
“I saw the endowment which I had contributed to before was not enough to sustain the program,” Spieker explained. “I felt that if the program wasn’t going to be sustained, it could be in jeopardy from a qualitative aspect. We were in good shape facility-wise, but we needed to meet the endowment challenge to keep the coaching and athlete benefits intact.”
The Spieker family’s connection to Berkeley runs remarkably deep, spanning six generations. Ned’s grandfather and mother attended Cal, he and his wife Carol met at Berkeley as undergraduates, and all four of their children graduated from Cal. Two grandsons currently attend the university, with one as a sophomore and another entering as a freshman.
“It was a family allegiance and a love for Cal,” Spieker reflected on his multi-generational commitment.
The aquatics endowment represents the latest chapter in the Spiekers’ extraordinary philanthropic partnership with UC Berkeley. In 2022, Ned and Carol made the largest gift in Haas School of Business history with a $30 million commitment that transformed the undergraduate business program from a two-year to a four-year experience, now known as the Spieker Undergraduate Business Program. Ned, who founded and led Spieker Properties into one of the largest commercial property companies in the United States, has also played a crucial role in Haas campus planning, serving as a catalyst for the construction of Chou Hall and helping maximize the school’s campus footprint. Carol, a trustee emeritus of the UC Berkeley Foundation, has been equally committed to the university’s mission throughout their decades of involvement.
Their latest investment comes at a time when Cal’s men’s aquatics programs have achieved extraordinary success. The swimming & diving and water polo programs have both captured multiple NCAA championships, with men’s water polo winning three consecutive national titles from 2021- 2023. The swimming & diving team has also maintained a dominant presence, having finished in the top-two nationally for a remarkable 15 consecutive seasons, including back-to-back NCAA championships in 2022 and 2023. Both Cal men’s swimming & diving and water polo have notably continued their Olympic tradition of excellence, bringing home multiple gold, silver, and bronze medals from both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
The impact on the current coaching staff will be immediate and profound. “This gift is just incredible,” said men’s water polo head coach Kirk Everist. “As an alum and coach, it’s hard to put into words what it means to see this kind of commitment to Cal Men’s Water Polo. It honors our past, supports our present, and guarantees a strong future for the program we all love. It’s a huge win for our athletes and for every Bear who’s ever represented Cal.”
Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton emphasized the broader significance of the gift within Cal’s strategic vision for Olympic sports. “This transformative $26 million gift stands as a powerful testament to the enduring legacy and excellence of Cal aquatics,” Knowlton said. “With the creation of this endowment, we now have five endowed programs, ensuring long-term stability and consistent funding.”
The men’s aquatics endowment represents a significant step toward Cal Athletics’ ambitious goal of building endowed support for all programs in partnership with the Cal family. Currently, five Cal varsity sports - men’s golf, women’s golf, rugby, men’s water polo and men’s swimming and diving - receive crucial funding through endowment support, with athletics leadership targeting fifteen endowed programs by June 2027. These endowments provide the reliable annual support that allows student-athletes to pursue championships while earning world-class Berkeley degrees.
Chancellor Lyons noted that Spieker’s leadership extends far beyond athletics, acknowledging his “instrumental role in building our world-class aquatics facilities” and his “vision that extends far beyond any single gift.”
For Spieker, the motivation remains focused on continuing excellence rather than transformation for Cal aquatics. “This won’t change the trajectory of the program,” he emphasized. “It will continue the excellence.”
