Finn played in his more competitive matches for the Los Angeles Athletic Club. The Los Angeles Club defeated the traditionally more dominant Illinois Athletic Club at the 1932 Olympic Trials at Brookside Park in Pasadena on July 22-23. Also selected as the first team of seven from the Los Angeles Club to represent the 1932 U.S. Olympic Water Polo team were
F. Cal Strong,
Philip Daubenspeck,
Austin Clapp,
Charles Harold McCallister,
Herbert Wildman, and former Olympian
Wallace O'Connor.
1932 Los Angeles Olympic bronze After qualifying at the trials, Finn, as the team's oldest member at 35, played with the 1932 U.S. Olympic team that won the bronze medal in the
Men's Water Polo team competition. Hungary and Germany were the clear pre-Olympic favorites, but teams from only five countries participated because of the long journey to Los Angeles from Europe. Finn participated in all four matches played by the U.S. team. Having tied with the strong team from Germany on points scored, the U.S. received the bronze medal due to goal difference. The win was one of the U.S. team's few Olympic medals in water polo before a predominantly U.S. crowd, and helped give greater visibility to the sport among American audiences.
1936 Berlin Olympics Four years later, Finn's Los Angeles Athletic Club team placed first in the 1936 Olympic trials in Chicago. Travelling to Berlin, Finn participated at the 1936 Summer Olympics at age 39, where he was a member of the American team which was eliminated in the first round of the
1936 tournament. The U.S. team finished in a tie for ninth place, with pre-game favorites Hungary taking the gold, Germany taking the silver, and Belguim taking the bronze medal. Finn participated in all three matches played by the U.S. team. ==Honors==