Ferris State Volleyball To Welcome Back Legendary Coach Kathy DeBoer For Special Event

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University Women's Volleyball program is celebrating Women's History Month by welcoming back one of its legendary coaches, Kathy DeBoer.

"A Night of History and Volleyball," is set for Friday, March 22 in the Bulldog Arena of the Ewigleben Sports Complex, celebrating Women's History Month and Ferris State Volleyball Alumni. There is free admission for the event and will include a 5 p.m. (ET) program and Crimson versus Gold Scrimmage beginning at 7 p.m. (ET) in the new Bulldog Arena.

Kathy DeBoer graduated from Michigan State, where she participated on the volleyball and basketball team and later became an inductee into the Hall of Fame. Once graduated, she played two years professionally in the Women's Basketball League (WBL) and aspired to go to Law School. Ferris State at the time had just built the first dedicated volleyball facility in the country and was looking for a high-profile volleyball coach and the athletic director at the time, Dean Davenport, gave DeBoer a chance. She coached for the Bulldogs from 1980-83.

"That year I lead the team to a 5-21 record, but Dean gave me another shot at it," Kathy stated. "I gave up on law school and ended up staying four years at Ferris."

"I'm sure glad I didn't get into law school," DeBoer said. "I could still argue with people, and I did throughout my career, but in sports I could make a bigger impact."

During her time at Ferris, she won over 100 games, led the team to GLIAC Championships in 1982 and 1983 and won three Coach of the Year honors. In 1984, Coach DeBoer moved on to coach at the University of Kentucky. As the head coach of the Wildcats, she led them to the Elite 8 and was named the National Coach of the Year in 1987. She later became the Athletic Department administrator at Kentucky, then became CEO of the American Volleyball Coaches Association in 2006. Kathy's coaching and leadership has inspired coaches across the nation, including the Bulldog's current head coach, Tia Brandel-Wilhelm.

"Kathy was a pioneer female athlete. She graduated high school as Title 9 was passed and earned one of the first athletic scholarships for women at Michigan State. She played pro basketball in the first female pro league. She tenaciously built lasting volleyball programs at Ferris State and University of Kentucky. Then she spearheaded the growth of volleyball for beach, club, collegiate, mens and professional in the United States. She is an amazing woman and role model" Coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm stated.

"I've known Tia forever and have tons of respect for her coaching and success at Ferris. Volleyball has been one of the most successful teams at Ferris over the last two decades and that's a credit to Tia. It's one thing to get good, but it's much harder to stay good over decades" DeBoer mentioned.

"Make volleyball matter." -- This mantra has been the driving force toward her efforts as the director of the AVCA. in creating more opportunities for volleyball and coaches. Over the last two decades, she was the main advocate in helping Women's Beach Volleyball become an NCAA Championship Sport and bringing more attention to Men's Volleyball. DeBoer is currently working with League One Volleyball (LOVB), one of the professional leagues that is starting in the United States.

"VB is the only sport that grew into mainstream without a more popular and broadly played male counterpart," DeBoer stated. "I feel as if I've come full circle in my career – from a pro basketball league that was built on and mimicking a men's model to a volleyball league where a women's sport is standing on its own merits. Fifty years in, we are ready to claim our own space . . . and, for me, it all started at Ferris."

Ferris State University's Women's Volleyball Team is a Division II intercollegiate program established in 1972. The Bulldogs are in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and have won nine championships in the past 10 years. For more information, visit www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com/sports/wvball/index.