USC Men's Volleyball Coach Pat Powers Resigns
April 28, 2002 | Men's Volleyball
April 28, 2002
LOS ANGELES- Pat Powers, USC's men's volleyball coach the past six seasons, announced his resignation today (April 28).
"I've had a great six years coaching at USC," said Powers, the former Olympic gold medalist, collegiate All-American and pro beach star. "But the time was right for me to step down and do something else in life. Everyone in Heritage Hall was extremely supportive of me, my staff and the team. What I am going to miss most are the players, particularly watching them grow and mature in so many different ways on and off the court. USC is one of the great coaching jobs and I believe the program is in excellent shape for my successor."
Said USC associate athletic director Daryl Gross: "Pat will always be a big part of the Trojan Family. We are indebted for all he did at USC as a player and a coach. He won an NCAA title as a player and he twice came within a win of getting his Trojans into the NCAA Final Four as a coach. It is special to coach your alma mater and he did so with true dedication and drive. We anticipated that Pat would be back next year, but he decided to pursue other interests. We wish him the best."
Gross said a nationwide search for Powers' replacement will begin soon.
Powers, 44, had a 106-82 coaching record in his six years (1997-2002) at Troy. In 1999 and 2000, USC was a win away from advancing to the NCAA tourney. His 2000 Trojans went 26-6, shared the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Pacific Division title and spent two weeks ranked No. 1 nationally before finishing fourth. He knocked off three top-ranked teams in his coaching career.
Powers was a two-time All-American at USC and led Troy to the 1980 NCAA crown. Regarded as one of the greatest players in international volleyball history, he was a member of the U.S. National Team for nine years (1978-86) and started at outside hitter on a squad that won America's first-ever "Triple Crown:" the 1984 Olympics, the 1985 World Cup and the 1986 World Championships. He then starred on the pro beach circuit.
