John Cook (coach)

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John G. Cook (born April 19, 1956) is a retired American volleyball coach who served as the head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers women's college volleyball team from 2000 to 2024. In twenty-five seasons at Nebraska, He led the Cornhuskers to four national championships (2000, 2006, 2015, 2017) and fifteen conference titles. Prior to Nebraska, Cook served as head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers for seven seasons. He earned his 800th career win in 2022, and ranks twelfth all-time in coaching wins in major college volleyball history.[1] Cook is a three-time AVCA National Coach of the Year.

Early life

Cook was born and raised in Chula Vista, California.[2][3] He attended Francis Parker School in San Diego, where he excelled on the basketball team.[4] He went on to play college basketball for the San Diego Toreros, but left the team when the program moved up to NCAA Division I.[4] Cook graduated from the University of San Diego in 1979, earning a bachelor's degree in history. He received a master's degree in teaching and coaching effectiveness from San Diego State University in 1991.

Coaching career

Early career

After finishing his undergraduate degree, Cook took a job teaching geography at his high school alma mater Francis Parker School, a private institution in San Diego. The job required him to coach three girls' sports — basketball, softball, and volleyball, as well as Parker's junior high boys basketball team – in addition to his teaching duties. According to ESPN journalist Elizabeth Merrill, "he knew little about volleyball, and had to read books to get a grasp on the basics." Cook proved a quick learner; he had a 162–18 record in six seasons as Parker's volleyball coach, which included a ninety-match winning streak and two state championships.[5]

While still coaching at Parker, Cook served as the head assistant coach at UC San Diego in 1983 and 1984, where he aided the Tritons to a second-place national finish in 1983 and an NCAA Division III national championship the next year. He was hired as an assistant coach at Nebraska in 1989.

Wisconsin

Cook was hired as Wisconsin's fifth full-time head coach in 1992, and three years later won the program's second National Invitational Volleyball Championship. He was named Big Ten Co-Coach of the Year and AVCA District 2 Coach of the Year after leading the Badgers to a share of the 1997 Big Ten title and school-record 30–3 record. The Badgers advanced to a postseason tournament in each of Cook's final six years at the school, including five NCAA Division I tournament appearances. Cook coached four All-Americans, nine AVCA All-District award winners, and eleven All-Big Ten honorees during his tenure at UW. Cook accepted an assistant coaching position at Nebraska following the 1998 season, with the understanding he would succeed the retiring Terry Pettit in 2000. Cook departed Wisconsin as the school's all-time wins leader, with a record of 161–73 across seven seasons.

Nebraska

Cook succeeded Terry Pettit as the head coach at Nebraska in 2000; NU went 34–0 and won its second national championship in Cook's first season. Over the following twenty-three seasons he has guided the Huskers to three more national titles (2006, 2015, 2017) and seven other national semifinal appearances. Cook has made the NCAA tournament in each of his years at Nebraska, continuing the Cornhuskers' streak of appearing in every NCAA tournament since 1982. Cook was named AVCA Division I National Coach of the Year in 2000, 2005, and 2023 and has won conference coach of the year six times across Nebraska's participation in the Big 12 and Big Ten. He was awarded the USA Volleyball All-Time Great Coach Award in 2008 and was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2017.

Cook has coached three AVCA National Players of the Year at NU – (Greichaly Cepero in 2000, Christina Houghtelling in 2005 and Sarah Pavan in 2006). Pavan also won the Honda-Broderick Cup in 2007 as the Collegiate Female Athlete of the Year. In 2023, Cook and Nebraska hosted Omaha at Memorial Stadium in what was termed "Volleyball Day in Nebraska"; the event's official attendance was 92,003, the highest ever for Memorial Stadium and any women's sporting event, except the 1971 Women's World Cup.[6]

On January 29, 2025, Cook announced his retirement; with Dani Busboom Kelly, a Nebraska native and former player and assistant coach under Cook, taking over for the 2025 season.[7]

Personal life

Cook is the great-grandson of Hazel Goes Cook, an early settler of Chula Vista, California.[8] He and his wife Wendy, a former two-time All-America setter at San Diego State, are the parents of daughter Lauren and son Taylor. They own a horse named Bud. Lauren was the starting setter for UCLA during her freshman season in 2009, and garnered National Freshman of the Year honors before transferring to Nebraska and finishing her college career there.[9][10]

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason

Template:CBB Yearly Record Subhead Template:CBB Yearly Record Entry Template:CBB Yearly Record Entry Template:CBB Yearly Record Entry Template:CBB Yearly Record Entry Template:CBB Yearly Record Entry Template:CBB Yearly Record Entry Template:CBB Yearly Record Entry

Wisconsin: Template:Winpct Template:Winpct

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2000 Nebraska 34–0 20–0 1st NCAA Division I Champion
2001 Nebraska 31–2 20–0 1st NCAA Division I Semifinal
2002 Nebraska 31–2 20–0 1st NCAA Division I Regional Final
2003 Nebraska 28–5 17–3 2nd NCAA Division I Regional Semifinal
2004 Nebraska 30–2 20–0 1st NCAA Division I Regional Final
2005 Nebraska 33–2 19–1 1st NCAA Division I Runner-up
2006 Nebraska 33–1 19–1 1st NCAA Division I Champion
2007 Nebraska 30–2 19–1 T–1st NCAA Division I Regional Final
2008 Nebraska 31–3 18–2 T–1st NCAA Division I Semifinal
2009 Nebraska 26–7 16–4 3rd NCAA Division I Regional Final
2010 Nebraska 29–3 19–1 1st NCAA Division I Regional Semifinal

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2011 Nebraska 25–5 17–3 1st NCAA Division I second round
2012 Nebraska 26–7 15–5 T–2nd NCAA Division I Regional Final
2013 Nebraska 26–7 16–4 2nd NCAA Division I Regional Final
2014 Nebraska 23–10 14–6 4th NCAA Division I Regional Final
2015 Nebraska 32–4 17–3 2nd NCAA Division I Champion
2016 Nebraska 31–3 18–2 1st NCAA Division I Semifinal
2017 Nebraska 32–4 19–1 T–1st NCAA Division I Champion
2018 Nebraska 29–7 15–5 T–3rd NCAA Division I Runner-up
2019 Nebraska 28–5 17–3 T–2nd NCAA Division I Regional Final
2020 Nebraska 16–3 14–2 3rd NCAA Division I Regional Final
2021 Nebraska 26–8 15–4 2nd NCAA Division I Runner-up
2022 Nebraska 26–6 16–4 2nd NCAA Division I Regional Semifinal
2023 Nebraska 33–2 19–1 1st NCAA Division I Runner-up
2024 Nebraska 33–3 19–1 T–1st NCAA Division I Semifinal
Nebraska: Template:Winpct Template:Winpct
Total: Template:Winpct

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Awards and honors

Single-season awards

  • AVCA Division I Central Region Coach of the Year: 1997, 2000, 2005, 2008, 2016, 2023
  • AVCA National Coach of the Year: 2000, 2005, 2023
  • Big Ten Coach of the Year: 1997 (co), 2016, 2017, 2023
  • Big 12 Coach of the Year: 2001, 2005, 2008, 2010
  • Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year: 2008

Career awards

  • USA Volleyball All-Time Great Coach (2008)
  • AVCA Hall of Fame (2017)

Career achievements

  • 4 national championships
  • 8 national finals
  • 12 national semifinals
  • 14 conference championships
  • 23 top-ten finishes
  • 66 All-Americans coached

References

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External links

Template:Nebraska Cornhuskers women's volleyball coach navbox Template:American Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame members

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