2016 NCAA Women's Volleyball ChampionshipDec 15, 2016 by Megan Kaplon
Most Legendary College Volleyball Coaches of All Time
Most Legendary College Volleyball Coaches of All Time
These are 12 of the best college coaches of all time. Combined, they boast 53 total NCAA national championship titles.
You know what they say, behind every national championship college team is a coach who poured his or her heart and soul into that season. Well, maybe they don't say that, but they should.
Over the years, these 12 coaches have proven themselves to be some of the best coaches college volleyball has ever seen, boasting 53 national championships between them.
Long-time UCLA men's coach Al Scates is the winningest coach in the NCAA, regardless of sport. He held the head coaching job at UCLA from 1963 to 2012, winning 19 national championships in those 50 years. Scates coached 52 All-Americans, seven AVCA National Players of the Year, 44 U.S. National Team members, and 27 Olympians.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/berkeslaw/status/719044672241283072" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
Russ Rose just finished his 38th season at the helm of the most decorated women's college volleyball program in the country. The winningest coach in NCAA Division I women's volleyball with a .865 percentage, Rose has led Penn State to a record seven national championships, including four in a row from 2007-2010. The five-time AVCA Division I Coach of the Year has mentored 40 All-American athletes and four AVCA National Players of the Year. Rose's Nittany Lions have never recorded fewer than 22 wins in a season.
Learn more about Russ Rose in the FloVolleyball documentary "The Program: Penn State."
The long-time UCLA women's coach Andy Banachowski is sixth on the list of most wins across all three divisions of NCAA women's volleyball with 1,106 victories in his 40-year career. Under his leadership, UCLA won six national championships (three in the NCAA, two in the AIAW, and one in the Division for Girls' and Women's Sports). He was the first Division I women's coach to reach 1,000 victories and hold two AVCA Coach of the Year Titles. In 1997, Banachowski was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/UCLAWomensVB/status/376212546664939520" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
In 42 years at Hawaii, Dave Shoji has accumulated a record of 1,179-198-1, making him the fourth winningest active coach by percentage (.856) and third by total victories (1,179). All-time, he ranks sixth by percentage and third by total victories. A 13-time Big West Coach of the Year and two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, Shoji has led the Rainbow Wahine to eight Big West titles, three NCAA national championships and one AIAW title.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/HawaiiWVB/status/799514460402679808" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
Marv Dunphy is the only coach to win an Olympic gold medal as a coach in addition to winning an NCAA national championship. His Pepperdine men's team won the national championship in 1978, 1985, 1992, and 2005, and he led the U.S. men's national team to a gold medal at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. No men's program has produced more AVCA National Players of the Year, and Dunphy's athletes have earned a total of 74 All-America honors.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/PeppVolleyball/status/760588415712710656" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
Brady Starkey, who has spent 14 seasons at Concordia-St. Paul, is the winningest active coach across all division with a .907 win percentage. His team won seven national championships in a row from 2007-2013, and is the only team to ever do so in NCAA women's volleyball. His team won its eighth Division II national championship in 2016, sweeping Alaska Anchorage in the title match. A three-time AVCA DII Coach of the Year, Starkey led his team to 11 straight 30-plus win seasons from 2003 to 2013.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/CSPBears/status/807741099557220356" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
With four NCAA titles, Stanford's John Dunning is tied with former Cardinal head coach Don Shaw for the second-most of any Division I coach. The four-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year has led his team to the NCAA tournament in every one of his seasons at Stanford and has reached the national championship in six of his 15 seasons. Dunning's athletes have earned 48 All-America honors and claimed the AVCA National Player of the Year title four times.
Photo by USA Today Sports
In the 25 years since she took the head coaching job at the University of Florida, Mary Wise has posted the best win percentage of any Division I coach. Among all active coaches, she ranks 10th by percentage and overall victories (.843, 848), and 16th all-time by total victories. She also has the most wins of any female Division I coach ever and is one of two female coaches to make it to the NCAA national semifinals. Her Gators have won 21 SEC titles and produced 35 All-Americans, including Kelly Murphy and Aury Cruz who went on to compete in the Olympics.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BMIR75jj5xX/?taken-by=gatorsvb" hide_caption="0"]
Mick Haley has served as head coach of USC women's volleyball for 16 seasons. He has led his team to two national championships (2002 and 2003) and six national semifinal appearances. Eight times in his tenure, the team has finished the season ranked in the top five. Haley's Trojans have posted an overall record of 392-95 (.805) and have recorded a 215-67 record (.762) in Pac-12 Conference matches. Haley is a member of the AVCA, the Junior College Coaches', and the Ball State Halls of Fame.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLze09-hW_O/?taken-by=uscwomensvolley" hide_caption="0"]
Former Juniata head coach and current Navy head coach Larry Bock is the all-time winningest coach by victories with 1,305. In his last 31 seasons at Juniata, Bock's teams won at least 30 matches and posted a record of 67-23 versus Division I programs. He has two Division III national championship titles to his name and has mentored four AVCA DIII Players of the Year.
Amber Warners has had an incredible amount of success in her 15 seasons at Calvin College. The four-time AVCA Division III Coach of the Year has led her teams to three national championships. With a .848 win percentage, Warners ranks sixth among active coaches across all divisions, eighth all-time, and third in Division III.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BMvE9rbAo7y/?taken-by=calvin_volleyball" hide_caption="0"]
Paco Labrador took the head coaching job at Wittenberg University in 2003. In the 14 seasons since, he has accumulated a .862 win percentage, good for second-best among active coaches across all three divisions. In conference play, Labrador's teams have only ever lost two matches, boasting an overall conference record of 155-2, and the Tigers won their first national championship in 2011.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BMc7ndQjLbB/?taken-by=wittenbergvolleyball" hide_caption="0"]
In the Tracy-Rietzke era, Rockhurst University has average 35 wins per season. Rietzke ranks second among Division II coaches with 1,153 total victories, and sixth all-time in Division II with a .820 win percentage. Across all levels of the NCAA, he ranks fifth in career victories.
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Over the years, these 12 coaches have proven themselves to be some of the best coaches college volleyball has ever seen, boasting 53 national championships between them.
Al Scates
Long-time UCLA men's coach Al Scates is the winningest coach in the NCAA, regardless of sport. He held the head coaching job at UCLA from 1963 to 2012, winning 19 national championships in those 50 years. Scates coached 52 All-Americans, seven AVCA National Players of the Year, 44 U.S. National Team members, and 27 Olympians.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/berkeslaw/status/719044672241283072" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
Russ Rose
Russ Rose just finished his 38th season at the helm of the most decorated women's college volleyball program in the country. The winningest coach in NCAA Division I women's volleyball with a .865 percentage, Rose has led Penn State to a record seven national championships, including four in a row from 2007-2010. The five-time AVCA Division I Coach of the Year has mentored 40 All-American athletes and four AVCA National Players of the Year. Rose's Nittany Lions have never recorded fewer than 22 wins in a season.
Learn more about Russ Rose in the FloVolleyball documentary "The Program: Penn State."
Andy Banachowski
The long-time UCLA women's coach Andy Banachowski is sixth on the list of most wins across all three divisions of NCAA women's volleyball with 1,106 victories in his 40-year career. Under his leadership, UCLA won six national championships (three in the NCAA, two in the AIAW, and one in the Division for Girls' and Women's Sports). He was the first Division I women's coach to reach 1,000 victories and hold two AVCA Coach of the Year Titles. In 1997, Banachowski was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/UCLAWomensVB/status/376212546664939520" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
Dave Shoji
In 42 years at Hawaii, Dave Shoji has accumulated a record of 1,179-198-1, making him the fourth winningest active coach by percentage (.856) and third by total victories (1,179). All-time, he ranks sixth by percentage and third by total victories. A 13-time Big West Coach of the Year and two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, Shoji has led the Rainbow Wahine to eight Big West titles, three NCAA national championships and one AIAW title.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/HawaiiWVB/status/799514460402679808" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
Marv Dunphy
Marv Dunphy is the only coach to win an Olympic gold medal as a coach in addition to winning an NCAA national championship. His Pepperdine men's team won the national championship in 1978, 1985, 1992, and 2005, and he led the U.S. men's national team to a gold medal at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. No men's program has produced more AVCA National Players of the Year, and Dunphy's athletes have earned a total of 74 All-America honors.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/PeppVolleyball/status/760588415712710656" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
Brady Starkey
Brady Starkey, who has spent 14 seasons at Concordia-St. Paul, is the winningest active coach across all division with a .907 win percentage. His team won seven national championships in a row from 2007-2013, and is the only team to ever do so in NCAA women's volleyball. His team won its eighth Division II national championship in 2016, sweeping Alaska Anchorage in the title match. A three-time AVCA DII Coach of the Year, Starkey led his team to 11 straight 30-plus win seasons from 2003 to 2013.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/CSPBears/status/807741099557220356" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
John Dunning
With four NCAA titles, Stanford's John Dunning is tied with former Cardinal head coach Don Shaw for the second-most of any Division I coach. The four-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year has led his team to the NCAA tournament in every one of his seasons at Stanford and has reached the national championship in six of his 15 seasons. Dunning's athletes have earned 48 All-America honors and claimed the AVCA National Player of the Year title four times.
Photo by USA Today Sports
Mary Wise
In the 25 years since she took the head coaching job at the University of Florida, Mary Wise has posted the best win percentage of any Division I coach. Among all active coaches, she ranks 10th by percentage and overall victories (.843, 848), and 16th all-time by total victories. She also has the most wins of any female Division I coach ever and is one of two female coaches to make it to the NCAA national semifinals. Her Gators have won 21 SEC titles and produced 35 All-Americans, including Kelly Murphy and Aury Cruz who went on to compete in the Olympics.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BMIR75jj5xX/?taken-by=gatorsvb" hide_caption="0"]
Mick Haley
Mick Haley has served as head coach of USC women's volleyball for 16 seasons. He has led his team to two national championships (2002 and 2003) and six national semifinal appearances. Eight times in his tenure, the team has finished the season ranked in the top five. Haley's Trojans have posted an overall record of 392-95 (.805) and have recorded a 215-67 record (.762) in Pac-12 Conference matches. Haley is a member of the AVCA, the Junior College Coaches', and the Ball State Halls of Fame.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLze09-hW_O/?taken-by=uscwomensvolley" hide_caption="0"]
Larry Bock
Former Juniata head coach and current Navy head coach Larry Bock is the all-time winningest coach by victories with 1,305. In his last 31 seasons at Juniata, Bock's teams won at least 30 matches and posted a record of 67-23 versus Division I programs. He has two Division III national championship titles to his name and has mentored four AVCA DIII Players of the Year.
Amber Warners
Amber Warners has had an incredible amount of success in her 15 seasons at Calvin College. The four-time AVCA Division III Coach of the Year has led her teams to three national championships. With a .848 win percentage, Warners ranks sixth among active coaches across all divisions, eighth all-time, and third in Division III.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BMvE9rbAo7y/?taken-by=calvin_volleyball" hide_caption="0"]
Paco Labrador
Paco Labrador took the head coaching job at Wittenberg University in 2003. In the 14 seasons since, he has accumulated a .862 win percentage, good for second-best among active coaches across all three divisions. In conference play, Labrador's teams have only ever lost two matches, boasting an overall conference record of 155-2, and the Tigers won their first national championship in 2011.
[instagram url="https://www.instagram.com/p/BMc7ndQjLbB/?taken-by=wittenbergvolleyball" hide_caption="0"]
Tracy Rietzke
In the Tracy-Rietzke era, Rockhurst University has average 35 wins per season. Rietzke ranks second among Division II coaches with 1,153 total victories, and sixth all-time in Division II with a .820 win percentage. Across all levels of the NCAA, he ranks fifth in career victories.
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