The Gophers volleyball program had a strong foundation laid by coach Linda Wells in the late 1970s and enjoyed a decent run of success under head coach Stephanie Schleuder in the 1980s and early 1990s, punctuated by NCAA tournament trips in 1989 and 1993.
Gophers have been blessed with an extended run of volleyball coaching excellence
One of the most consistently high-achieving Gophers programs will be in search of a new coach after the news Sunday that Hugh McCutcheon is leaving after this season.
October 17, 2022 at 6:50PM
Between the 1995 and 1996 seasons, though, the Gophers signaled a new era: The school lured excellent head coach Mike Hebert away from Illinois, where his program had won four Big Ten titles and reached two Final Fours in 13 seasons.
Thus began a run of excellence with many contributing factors, but one undeniable thread: the experienced, steady and philosophical leadership of Hebert and later Hugh McCutcheon at the top.
Hebert was at the helm for 15 seasons, culminating in 14 NCAA tournament trips, three Final Four appearances and the program's only NCAA title match appearance.
Parkinson's Disease forced Hebert into retirement in 2010, and the full impact of what he built could still be felt even after his death in 2019.
Laura Bush led the Gophers to a regional semifinal as the interim coach in 2011 and stayed until McCutcheon arrived from national team coaching duties in 2012.
McCutcheon's surprise announcement Sunday that he is stepping down at the end of this season — which Patrick Reusse and I talked about on Monday's Daily Delivery podcast — will lead to an obvious question: Can the Gophers extend their run of volleyball excellence?
McCutcheon, in his 11th season coaching the Gophers, has only enhanced what Hebert helped establish. His teams have been to nine NCAA region semifinals, five region finals and three Final Fours.
Since Hebert arrived, the Gophers have reached 24 NCAA tournaments in 26 seasons, with another bid extremely likely this year.
Vikings fans look longingly at the Packers' QB succession plan that went straight from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers. Much of the volleyball world must look at Minnesota the same way.
The history of success and the amount of in-state prep talent in Minnesota should give the Gophers a large pool of high-quality applicants to be the next coach.
But this is also clear: The Gophers will be incredibly fortunate if their next hire is anywhere near as good as their past two.
When he was hired after the disastrous 2016 season to reshape the Twins, Derek Falvey brought a reputation for identifying and developing pitching talent. It took a while, but the pipeline we were promised is now materializing.
