Karch Kiraly will coach the U.S. men’s volleyball team through the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which will take place 44 years after Kiraly played on the gold-medal team at the 1984 LA Games.
Kiraly, 63, shifts to the men’s head coaching role after serving as the U.S. women’s head coach since September 2012.
“Chances to collaborate with some of the best people and players on the planet — and to represent our country while striving for incredibly difficult goals like Olympic gold medals — are precious beyond words,” Kiraly said in a press release. “For one-quarter of my life, I’ve poured everything I have into the U.S. women’s team; first as an assistant, then as head coach. Now, it’s time for new adventures and new challenges.”
The U.S. women won an Olympic medal of every color under Kiraly, including the program’s first Olympic title in Tokyo in 2021. In December 2021, USA Volleyball announced that Kiraly’s contract as women’s head coach had been renewed through 2024.
Kiraly succeeds John Speraw as U.S. men’s head coach. Speraw, who coached the men at the last three Olympics (including to bronze in Paris), started a new job as USA Volleyball President and CEO on Oct. 1.
“I am thrilled that Team USA’s greatest winner will be moving from the U.S. women’s team to lead the U.S. men into LA 2028,” Speraw said in the release. “I have complete and total trust in Karch’s process. He has a relentless work ethic, brilliant intellect and is a selfless teacher.”
In 1984 in Los Angeles, Kiraly was the youngest man on the team that won the first Olympic title in U.S. volleyball history.
He won another gold with the 1988 team in Seoul, then won a third gold in the Olympic debut of beach volleyball in 1996 in Atlanta with Kent Steffes.
Kiraly has more ties to Southern California. He led Santa Barbara High School to 85 consecutive victories in the late 1970s, then won three national championships with UCLA (1979, 1981, 1982).
