Princeton University Athletics
Glenn Nelson, Princeton's All-Time Winningest Coach, Will Retire Following 2009 Men's Volleyball Season
March 26, 2009 | Men's Volleyball, Women's Volleyball
Glenn Nelson, Princeton's all-time winningest coach in any sport and the only coach to ever take both a men's and women's volleyball team to the NCAA tournament in the same academic year, will retire at the conclusion of the 2009 men's volleyball season, it was announced Thursday, March 26 by Director of Athletics Gary Walters '67.
“Glenn is one of the all-time greatest coaches in the history of Princeton University,” Walters said. “He is the face of Princeton volleyball, and it's hard to imagine looking on the bench in the future and not seeing him there. On behalf of the university and the athletic department, I want to thank him for everything he's done here."
Everything he has done at Princeton is quite a substantial list. His 579 victories with the Princeton women's volleyball team is more than any coach at the University has ever recorded with one team; Nelson has guided both the men's and women's teams to 1,106 victories over a combined 58 seasons as a head coach.
“Maybe I'm leaving a little earlier than people might have expected, but people have to understand that I've coached 58 different teams, so I'm never really out of season,” Nelson said. “It's harder than handling just one team or one sport. From the time I was 28 until I was 52, I played with the teams every day at practice, so maybe I'm a little older than my chronological age.
“Plus, since the age of 8, I have either player or coached a competitive team,” Nelson added. “I'm tired of competing.”
Nelson, who has guided the Princeton women's volleyball team to 11 Ivy League championships during his tenure, led the 2007 squad to a 22-3 record, including a 14-0 mark in Ivy League play. No team had ever gone unbeaten in Ivy play since the league adopted the double-round-robin format in 2001. Princeton won its final 20 matches of the season to earn its first NCAA bid since 2000.
Princeton defeated Brown 3-0 to clinch the Ivy League title on Nov. 9, and Nelson achieved a personal milestone that night as well. It was his 560th victory with the women's program, which moved him past longtime softball coach Cindy Cohen and into first place all-time for any coach at Princeton.
That team was led by junior Parker Henritze, the only Princeton volleyball player to ever earn Ivy League Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year honors in the same season.
“Personally, I don't think I've ever played for a coach who has a better handle on how to balance his players as both athletes and people,” Henritze said. “Coach's friendship, as that's probably the best way to describe his relationship with myself and my teammates, throughout my four years has been an irreplaceable part of my Princeton career and is something that has distinguished him for the 58 incredible seasons he has contributed to Princeton athletics. He is the center of the tight knit volleyball family and is a truly unique coach--there are very few like him remaining--who I am extremely sad to see leaving.
“I also know that he has left an indelible mark on the hundreds of men's and women's players he has coached over his immeasurably successful career,” she added. “His legacy is the hallmark of Princeton volleyball, both men's and women's, and he deserves enormous respect and credit for a job well done over nearly 30 years. I will miss him terribly both on and off the court.”
Among the Top 25 winningest coaches in NCAA women's volleyball history, Nelson's teams averaged more than 21 victories per year and recorded a winning record in Ivy League play in 21 of the last 22 seasons. When the Ivy League championship was decided with a one-match tournament final, Nelson led Princeton to the final in 13 of 19 seasons.
He has coached four Ivy League Players of the Year (Kristi Hakman, 1990; Kristin Spataro, 1995; Sabrina King, 1999 and Henritze, 2007) and five Ivy League Rookies of the Year (Melanie Hunter, 1991; Ayesha Attoh, 1994; Michelle Buffum, 1999; Kellie Cramm, 2000 and Henritze, 2005).
Glenn Nelson is the only coach in the history of collegiate volleyball to take both a men's and women's team to the NCAA tournament in the same year. He accomplished this feat during the 1997-98 year, when the Princeton women played Maryland in the first round of the tournament and the men traveled to Hawaii in the Final Four. His 1998 men's team is the only team to defeat Penn State in the EIVA championships.
A 1972 graduate of Orange Coast College, Nelson has guided the Tigers to a total of 28 Ivy championships (17 men, 11 women), as well as the 1998 EIVA championship.
Prior to arriving at Princeton, Nelson was actively involved in training young volleyball players in the Special Olympics program. From there, he started coaching the junior varsity teams at Trenton State College (now known as The College of New Jersey). After taking over the reigns as the Princeton's men's coach in 1979, Nelson assumed responsibilities for both the men and women in 1982.
To read the GoPrincetonTigers.com feature of Glenn Nelson after he set the all-time wins mark at Princeton, click here.