LIHU‘E — The American Volleyball Coaches Association announced its eighth annual AVCA Hall of Fame class on Tuesday, including University of Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine head volleyball coach Dave Shoji, states a UH press release. The 2010 AVCA Hall of Fame
LIHU‘E — The American Volleyball Coaches Association announced its eighth annual AVCA Hall of Fame class on Tuesday, including University of Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine head volleyball coach Dave Shoji, states a UH press release.
The 2010 AVCA Hall of Fame class will be inducted in ceremonies December 16 at the Coaches Honors Luncheon, held in conjunction with the 2010 AVCA Annual Convention in Kansas City, Mo. The other three inductees are Irene Matlock, Carl McGown and Sports Imports, Inc.
“This Hall of Fame class is wonderfully representative of the broad community that is the AVCA,” said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. “The four inductees have been leaders in completely different sectors of our sport, yet all bright stars in our volleyball galaxy.”
The induction of these four honorees will bring the total number of AVCA Hall of Fame honorees to 52 in its eight years of existence.
In 2009, Shoji became just the second head coach in NCAA Division I women’s volleyball history to reach the 1,000-win milestone, as he now has accumulated 1,016 career victories, ranking second all-time in Division I. The campaign was the ninth NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship to which Shoji has marched the Rainbow Wahine, and the program’s 28th NCAA Tournament appearance overall.
Hawai’i, under Shoji’s guidance, has also made 25 NCAA Regional Appearances and have totaled 18, 30-plus win seasons. During his time at the helm, Shoji and the Rainbow Wahine have captured four national championships: an AIAW title in 1979 and three NCAA Division I crowns (1982, ’83 and ‘87).
The accolades for Shoji have poured in over the years. He is a 10-time conference coach of the year and has twice been selected the AVCA National Coach of the Year (1982 and 2009). Shoji was honored with an All-Time Great Coach Award in the Donald S. Shondell Contemporary Division by USA Volleyball in 2002. He has also recently been inducted to Hawai‘i Sports Hall of Fame and was named as the coach of the NCAA 25th Anniversary team.
“Dave is a great and gracious competitor,” says AVCA Hall of Fame member and former University of Nebraska head coach Terry Pettit in an endorsement letter of Shoji’s nomination. “The Hawai’i fans, I believe, reflect his demeanor and sportsmanship. As last year’s participation in the NCAA semifinals gives evidence, no one has maintained a top-level program for as long as Dave Shoji at the University of Hawai’i.”
