48 SIDELINES APRIL 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Tim Gannon Is
A “Bloomin” Polo Star
By Lauren R. Giannini
The co-founder of Outback Steakhouse and inventor of the
“Bloomin Onion” recipe is a genuinely nice guy. Every June he
shows up at Great Meadow in The Plains, Virginia for the Van
Metre Polo Cup, which benefts Capital Caring (palliative care,
counseling and hospice) and features celebrity players John
Walsh of America’s Most Wanted, Nacho Figueras of Black
Watch/Ralph Lauren Polo, and Salvatore Ferragamo, president of
Il Borro vineyard in Italy and grandson of the world famous shoe
designer. Tim is a star in his own right.
“At the annual Van Metre Polo Cup Tim Gannon provides all
the food from Outback and all the staff, from cooks to servers,
volunteer their time to work for Tim at this polo fundraiser,” said
John Gobin, general manager of Great Meadow Polo. “It just
wouldn’t be the same in the sponsors’ tent without Tim Gannon
and the Outback atmosphere. He’s a very nice guy and incredibly
generous.”
Tim Gannon, truth be told, represents more than great
hospitality in the polo world. He started playing polo in 1992 and
his passion for the game led him to form the Outback Polo team.
Tim played high goal polo in the United States, England, Spain,
Argentina, Dubai and Uruguay. He led Outback Polo to fve US
Open championships (1995, ’96, ’99, 2000, ’01) and set a record
of three consecutive wins – a feat that has yet to be duplicated.
In 1999 Tim was honored with the USPA Sponsor of the Year
award. This year, on February 15, the National Museum of Polo &
Hall of Fame in Wellington, Florida honored Tim Gannon with the
Phillip Iglehart Award. “That was a big surprise,” said Tim, whose
polo career, competition-wise, ended about 10 years ago; he
now plays only in charity fundraisers or exhibition matches. “The
National Museum honors players both alive and posthumously,
so I’m thrilled to be honored with this award while I’m still young,
vibrant and lucid and grateful to accept the Iglehart Award in great
health.”
Great sense of humor aside, Tim was chosen for the Iglehart
because of his “selfess generosity to polo, charitable causes and
lifetime contributions to the sport.” Martin S. Cregg, chairman of
the National Museum of Polo & Hall of Fame, stated, “Tim is very
generous and he was an active player and sponsor for a number
of years. He has helped children’s polo and polo clubs just starting
out. He was on the board of the museum for several years and he
has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Players Association.”
In fact, the day after Tim accepted the Iglehart Award, he could
be found at the International Polo Club in Palm Beach for the
Outback 40-Goal Challenge, 9th annual fundraiser that benefts
the Polo Players Support Group, a non-proft organization
providing fnancial assistance to seriously injured or ill polo
players and grooms. On February 23, Tim played in the 2nd
annual Charity Polo Classic to raise funds for three Tampa Bay
area charities: Children’s Cancer Center, Starting Right Now and
Wheels for Success.
“My son Chris got inspired to do what I do in his area and
organizes the Charity Polo Classic. Chris and John Walsh hope to
raise $100,000 for the charities in Tampa,” said Tim. “John is as
good as it gets. He’s the emcee of my award at the Polo Museum
e
Polo
Tim Gannon moves the ball up the feld during the Van Metre
Polo Cup with teammate John Walsh riding shotgun.
All photos by Lauren R Giannini
Tim Gannon is a genuinely nice guy whose generosity,
especially with various charities, knows no bounds.