Nebraska volleyball head coach John Cook retires after 25 seasons
An iconic era of Nebraska volleyball and Husker athletics has come to a close. Head coach John Cook announced his retirement after 25 seasons on Wednesday. He ends his illustrious career as the winningest coach in Division I volleyball this century.
“I’ve been here for 25 years. That’s a long time to do something. It’s been a great run,” Cook said in a statement. “I want to thank my family for their support, and I want to thank Bill Byrne and Terry Pettit for giving me the opportunity to be the Nebraska volleyball coach. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some great coaches and staff over the years, and I’m forever grateful for how hard they worked and for how much they gave to Nebraska volleyball.
“For me personally, the greatest accomplishment in coaching is seeing former players go into coaching or other careers and taking the lessons they’ve learned from being a Nebraska volleyball player and applying it to their everyday lives. There is no greater reward in coaching than that. Lastly and most importantly, I want to thank the fans for always supporting Nebraska volleyball. I’ve always said to ‘Dream Big’, and we’ve dreamed bigger than any volleyball program in the history of the world.”
Reflecting on John Cook’s legacy
Cook leaves Nebraska as one of the most decorated and accomplished coaches in Husker history. The 68-year-old went 722-103 (.875) after taking over as head coach in 2000. He had the nation’s highest active winning percentage and is the fifth-winningest coach in NCAA history.
Cook led Nebraska to eight NCAA championship games, 12 NCAA semifinal appearances, and advanced to 24 NCAA regional rounds in 25 years. He won nine Big 12 titles and six Big Ten championships.
He produced 72 AVCA All-Americans, including some of the world’s most successful volleyball players. Cook also developed many great coaches who either worked under him, played for him, or both.
The California native was a three-time AVCA Division I National Coach of the Year (2000, 2005, 2023). He won Big 12 Coach of the Year four times (2001, 2005, 2008, 2010) and was a four-time Big Ten Coach of the Year selection (1997, 2016, 2017, 2023).
Cook started his time at Nebraska as an assistant coach under Terry Pettit from 1989-1991. Then, he spent 1992 to 1998 growing Wisconsin’s volleyball program as its head coach. Cook returned to Lincoln in 1999 as an assistant head coach and Pettit’s successor. Nebraska won national titles in 2000, 2006, 2015, and 2017 with Cook as head coach.
Dreaming Big
Throughout his career, Cook strived to “Dream Big” and encouraged everyone else around him to do so. He will go down as one of the biggest dreamers in college volleyball history. Cook advanced the game of volleyball greatly in the state of Nebraska and around the country.
The Huskers took a big risk in 2014 and moved from its beloved Coliseum to play at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. They have sold out every single match at Devaney, the longest sellout streak in college volleyball.
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Cook helped Nebraska set the women’s sports world attendance record with the first-ever volleyball match played in a football stadium. The 2023 “Volleyball Day in Nebraska” set the record with 92,003 in attendance.
“John Cook leaves a legacy of excellence that places him alongside a very small group of coaches who can be considered the greatest in college athletics history, regardless of sport,” Nebraska Director of Athletics Troy Dannen said. “John took over one of the nation’s best programs a quarter century ago and elevated it to another level.
“The national championships, Final Four appearances, conference championships, All-Americans, and Olympians speak for themselves, but John’s impact goes beyond the on-court accolades. Behind his vision, Nebraska volleyball has become arguably the most successful women’s program in the country which has helped the sport of volleyball reach a popularity level it has never seen before.”
Nebraska holds nine of the top 10 attendance records in college volleyball. It also averages the most fans per match in the country and is the only college volleyball program to turn a profit.
Cook’s vision and passion for the future of Nebraska volleyball and the sport was built firmly on Pettit’s foundation. He helped the Huskers continue to skyrocket, breaking attendance and viewership records along the way.
Cook’s influence on Nebraska and college volleyball has and will continue to impact generations of volleyball players, fans, and women’s athletics as a whole.
