Three takes on John Cook's decision to retire and Dani Busboom Kelly's hiring
The news of John Cook’s retirement, followed by Dani Busboom Kelly’s hiring, rocked the volleyball world on Wednesday.
Here are three takes on the news and what it means moving forward.
RELATED – Nebraska volleyball head coach John Cook retires after 25 seasons
1 – Cook impacted the sport more than anyone arguably in the world
When you think about John Cook’s impact on not just volleyball but women’s athletics, he’s had as significant of an impact as anyone in the sport’s history.
What Cook accomplished in his 25 years at NU is simply remarkable. He took the Nebraska volleyball program from the 4,000-seat NU Coliseum to eventually filling every venue it played in, even Memorial Stadium.
Beyond the four national championships, Cook leaves coaching with a world record. That is, 92,003 people filled Memorial Stadium to watch his team play in 2023. He also set attendance records this year at nearly every road venue his team played in and delivered the highest television ratings in the sport’s history.
Nebraska volleyball became more than just a team. It became a global brand in sports that people couldn’t take their eyes off. It’s helped high school volleyball in this state explode to a level we’ve never seen before, along with two professional teams coming to Omaha in the last year that also fill their arenas. You can argue all of this happened due to Cook’s impact on the sport.
2 – In 2021, Cook hinted this day could be coming by 2025
You always knew this day was coming, but in some ways, in 2021, Cook hinted it might be in 2025. When the talented freshman class of 2021 arrived on campus, led by All-American Lexi Rodriguez, Cook promised that he would be at NU for the duration of their careers.
At that time, it was quite the statement to know Cook was committed to potentially another four years at Nebraska.
Top 10
- 1Hot
Cam Newton
Cowboys tanking for Arch Manning
- 2
Arch Manning NIL
Texas QB signs with Red Bull
- 3New
ACC, ESPN extension
New deal reached through 2036
- 4
Michigan vs. NCAA, Big Ten
300 UM players join lawsuit
- 5
Ohio State investigation
Defensive coach on leave
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
That class of 2021, but notably Rodriguez, played a significant role in the final act of John Cook. It came up short of winning a national championship, but you can argue Rodriguez was as impactful and beloved as any player in school history.
Cook kept his promise to the 2021 class and will ride off into the sunset with it.
3 – Dani Busboom Kelly is the easy call to replace Cook
This one almost made too much sense. Dani Busboom Kelly is the definition of a Husker volleyball player and a true Nebraskan.
She grew up in Cortland and helped lead the Huskers to a national championship. She eventually married former Nebraska football player Lane Kelly of Omaha and began her coaching career. She cut her teeth as an assistant at NU and Tennessee before becoming the head coach of Louisville.
At Louisville, she used the Nebraska volleyball playbook to help make the Cardinals a national power. Everyone close to Busboom Kelly had a good idea this day was coming. It wasn’t a matter of “if,” but more “when.”
It’s rare to have a coaching succession be this smooth. Busboom Kelly signed a six-year contract agreement with Nebraska.
