John Dunning Position: Head Coach Experience: 11th Season Alma Mater: San Diego State '73

John Dunning is no stranger to success. Few in the history of the sport can compete with the accomplishments of the Cardinal's decorated head coach. In 2011, Dunning, the three-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year, enters his 11th season at the helm of the Cardinal program. In his time on The Farm, he has helped Stanford further strengthen its hold as one of the premier collegiate volleyball programs in the nation.

Dunning has been in the spotlight of NCAA volleyball since he began his coaching career 26 years ago at Pacific. Since then, he has collected four national titles, matching former Cardinal coach Don Shaw and current Penn State head coach Russ Rose for the most in NCAA history, and coached in more Division I national title matches (9) than anyone. He has taken all 26 teams he has coached to the NCAA Tournament and led 23 of those teams to an NCAA Regional. Dunning ranks among the top five coaches all-time with an .828 career winning percentage, and among the top 10 active coaches with 726 career wins. Entering the 2011 season, Dunning boasts a 726-151 career record, with a 289-49 (.855) mark at Stanford. In his 10 years on The Farm, Dunning has had 12 athletes earn 29 AVCA All-America honors and developed four AVCA National Players of the Year. His Stanford teams have also posted a 73-22 record in the NCAA Tournament, won six Pac-10 titles and reached the national championship match in six of his 10 seasons as head coach.

At Stanford

Dunning took the reins of the Cardinal program in July 2001 and, in his very first year, coached Stanford to an unprecedented fifth NCAA Championship and ninth Pac-10 title. Dunning's squad swept previously unbeaten Long Beach State in the national title match and finished the year with a 33-2 mark, tying the school record for most wins in a single season. Dunning also became the first Division I head coach to win a national championship in his first season at two different schools (Pacific and Stanford). For his efforts, he was honored as the Pac-10 Coach of the Year as well as the AVCA National Coach of the Year. Dunning had two athletes named AVCA All-Americans, including National Player of the Year Logan Tom. Three players garnered first-team All-Pac-10 honors while one, Ogonna Nnamani, was tabbed Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and ASICS/Volleyball Magazine National Freshman of the Year.

In 2002, Stanford finished second nationally, battling its way back to the NCAA title match. That year, Dunning led the Cardinal to a 32-5 record and another NCAA Final Four appearance. The team finished as the NCAA runner-up, while three players were tabbed AVCA All-Americans and Tom repeated at the AVCA National Player of the Year. Nnamani was honored as an Academic All-American.

In 2003, Dunning led the Cardinal to a 25-7 overall record and its 23rd consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Nnamani was honored as an AVCA First-Team All-American while teammate Jennifer Harvey was a second-team selection. Newcomer Kristin Richards was tabbed Pac-10 Freshman of the Year as well as Volleyball Magazine's National Freshman of the Year.

In 2004, Stanford reached the national title match for the third time in four years, and once again, captured the NCAA crown with a three-game sweep of Minnesota. Dunning coached the Cardinal to a 30-6 overall record and the sixth national title in school history. Nnamani, Stanford's top player, gained AVCA All-America honors for a fourth-straight season. In addition, Nnamani was named the 2005 Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year (Honda-Broderick Cup), a 2005 NCAA Today's Top Eight Award recipient, the Pac-10 Player of the Year and received an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. Richards was named a Volleyball Magazine First-Team All-American, and an all-conference first-team selection.

In 2005, Dunning led Stanford to a 26-6 record and a 25th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. He was also a recipient of the USA Volleyball All-Time Great Coach Award, presented each year by USA Volleyball, the national governing body of the sport, to recognize the all-time great coaches of volleyball.

After a one-year absence, Dunning led Stanford back to the NCAA title match in 2006. Under his guidance, Stanford posted a 30-4 record, claimed its first outright Pac-10 title since 2001 and made an NCAA Tournament run that culminated in its 16th trip to the Final Four. On October 20, 2006, Dunning earned his 600th win as a head coach against Oregon. A school-record four players earned AVCA All-America honors.

In 2007, Dunning continued to build on the tradition of success, leading his team back to the national championship match. Stanford repeated as the Pac-10 Champion for the first time in Dunning's tenure and, for his efforts, he was named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year. Stanford went 32-3 on its way to a 17th NCAA Final Four appearance, and reached the national title match for the fifth time since Dunning took over the program. The Cardinal swept the postseason Pac-10 awards for the first time since 2001, with Alix Klineman earning Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors, Foluke Akinradewo being named Pac-10 Player of the Year and Dunning earning the distinction as the conference's top coach. For the second consecutive year, a school-record four Stanford players earned AVCA All-America honors. Klineman was named the Volleyball Magazine National Freshman of the Year, while Akinradewo was recognized as the AVCA National Player of the Year.

In 2008, Dunning posted a 31-4 record, led his team to the national championship match for the third year in a row and became the first coach in the sport's history to coach in nine NCAA title matches. The squad went 17-1 in conference play to secure its third consecutive Pac-10 Championship, establishing the most dominant title streak in nearly a decade. The Cardinal opened the NCAA Tournament with four consecutive sweeps for the first time since 1994, then became the first team in NCAA history to overcome an 0-2 deficit in an NCAA semifinal match. For his efforts, Dunning was named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year as well as the Pacific Region Coach of the Year. Three players - Akinradewo, Klineman and Cynthia Barboza - were named AVCA First-Team All-Americans, tying a school record for first-team representatives. Akinradewo was also named the Volleyball Magazine Co-National Player of the Year after shattering the NCAA's career hitting percentage record by more than 20 points.

In 2009, the Cardinal claimed its unprecedented 16th conference championship, including its fourth in a row. With a 23-8 overall record, Stanford appeared in its 29th consecutive NCAA Tournament, the longest streak in the nation. Four players earned AVCA All-America honors - Cassidy Lichtman (first team), Klineman (second team), Janet Okogbaa (second team) and Gabi Ailes (honorable mention). Additionally, Ailes and Klineman were tabbed Second Team All-Americans by Volleyball Magazine.

Last season, Stanford continued its Pac-10 dominance, claiming a share of its fifth straight conference title. The Cardinal went 27-4 overall and continued its nation-leading sreak with its 30th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Stanford reached the regional final for the seventh time in the past decade. Seniors Gabi Ailes, Alix Klineman and Cassidy Lichtman were all named AVCA and Volleyball Magazine All-Americans. Additionally, Klineman was tabbed the National Player of the Year by Volleyball Magazine, becoming Dunning's fourth national player of the year at Stanford.

At Pacific

Prior to coming to Stanford, Dunning spent 16 seasons as the head coach at Pacific. During his tenure in Stockton, he compiled an impressive 437-102 (.811) record, was named Big West Coach of the Year four times and led the Tigers to two NCAA Championships, an NCAA runner-up finish, five Big West Conference titles and 16 consecutive NCAA Tournament bids. An outstanding student and teacher of the game, 16 of his Tiger athletes were recognized on the national stage with a total of 29 All-America awards. In 2007, Dunning was inducted into the University of the Pacific Hall of Fame.

In 1985, Dunning stepped onto the Pacific campus, guided the team to a national title in his first year as a collegiate head coach and was named the Volleyball Monthly National Coach of the Year. The next year, 1986, he helped the squad repeat its landmark feat. Dunning's pair of titles with the volleyball program remain the only two national championships in any sport in Pacific's history.

Over his 16 seasons, Dunning led his teams to a combined 43-15 record in postseason action, an unmatched 10-1 record in Big West Conference Tournament play and a stellar 33-14 mark in the NCAA Tournament. Of the 16 squads coached by Dunning, 14 reached NCAA Regionals, advancing to the regional championship match seven times. Four of Dunning's squads reached the NCAA Final Four, including the two national championship teams, the 1990 national runner-up team and his 1999 squad that went 32-3.

In 2000, his final year with the program, Dunning earned Big West Coach of the Year honors for the second straight season, as the Tigers won a second consecutive Big West title. His squad posted a 28-4 overall record, reached a regional semifinal and had two players named All-Americans.

Other Accomplishments

Prior to beginning his career at the collegiate level, Dunning made a name for himself as one of the country's top prep and junior club coaches. The founder of the Bay Club, a USAV Junior Club, he also spent nine successful years as the head coach at Sunnyvale's Fremont High School.

His teams at Fremont were among the top five in the state each of his last six years, also capturing eight league titles, six sectional crowns and one state championship. After being selected as the California Coaches Association Prep Coach of the Year in 1980, Dunning was a finalist for National High School Coach of the Year in 1984. His impressive 283-32 (.898) high school record makes him one of the most successful prep coaches in California history.

In 1980, he founded the Bay Club and built it into one of the country's most successful and well-managed junior programs in just four years. His team won the national championship in 1984.

With his accomplishments in club, high school and collegiate volleyball, Dunning is one of only two coaches to have captured national titles on three different levels.

Dunning has also spent time coaching at the national level. He was selected to coach the north squad at the 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival and led the team to a gold medal. From 1993 to 1994, he served as President of the American Volleyball Coaches Association. He served the two previous years as the NCAA Division I representative to the AVCA Board of Directors, and has been a member of the AVCA Division I All-America Selection Committee many times. Dunning also served as interim athletic director at Pacific in 1999-2000. In May 2008, he was named to the USA Volleyball Board of Directors.

Personal

Dunning earned his bachelor of arts degree in mathematics and economics from San Diego State in 1973. He coached volleyball and taught mathematics at the high school level in the Bay Area from 1973 to 1984. He and his wife, Julie, have two daughters, Lauren and Lisa (husband Matt Dobbins), and two grandchildren, McKenzie and Cole.