Sept. 5, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State women's volleyball head coach Russ Rose has been named as one of three members in the 2007 AVCA Hall of Fame induction class, officials from the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced. Rose joins Debby Colberg of Sacramento State University and Steve Shondell of Muncie Burris Laboratory School.
"Maybe based on our last match, people thought I was retiring," joked Rose. "But in all seriousness, it's a great honor to be recognized by the governing organization of your sport. It's an individual award given to the coach of a team sport, so it's a reflection of the great players and staff, and the commitment the university has made to give us an opportunity to compete at a high level and have success."
Rose is in his 29th season at the helm of the Nittany Lion program and just six wins shy of becoming only the third active coach in NCAA Division I history to reach the 900-win plateau, a feat only accomplished by five active coaches at any level in the history of NCAA women's volleyball. Named an All-Time Great Coach by USA Volleyball in 2005, Rose's .850 winning percentage, based on his career record of 894-158, is the highest percentage among active Division I coaches.
"Halls of Fame are reserved for those who have done exceptional work for a long, long time," said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. "These candidates are the best of the best, and credit Russ Rose with putting Penn State and the East on the volleyball map. His national championship, his remarkable string of elite teams and his parade of homegrown All-Americans have all contributed to making volleyball a national sport."
An eight-time Big Ten Coach of the Year and 11-time nominee for National Coach of the Year, Rose has led his teams to all 26 NCAA Tournaments, one of only three programs in the country to accomplish that feat. His squads advanced to three consecutive NCAA Championship matches form 1997-9999, winning the championship crown in 1999. Having never posted less than 22 wins in a season, Rose has guided his Penn State teams to 10 Big Ten titles in 16 years, including the current streak of four consecutive outright league championships, a feat never before accomplished in the conference. Of the six times a Big Ten school has gone undefeated in league play, Rose's teams own three of them (1998, 1999, 2005). Prior to joining the Big Ten for the 1991 season, Rose led the Nittany Lions to eight consecutive Atlantic 10 titles and never lost a regular-season match.
"Coach Rose's knowledge of the game, success on the court and game management skills make him one of the greatest coaches in the sport today," said Salima (Davidson) Rockwell, Penn State assistant coach and former All-American setter under Rose. "Having played for him and now back as his assistant coach, I have had the privilege to learn not only about the game of volleyball, but about life itself."
The 2007 AVCA Hall of Fame class will be inducted in ceremonies on Dec. 13 at the Jostens Coaches Honors Luncheon, held in conjunction with the 2007 AVCA Annual Convention in Sacramento, Calif. The induction of three honorees now brings the total number of individuals honored to 41 in the five years of the AVCA Hall of Fame.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.