SVB | Mike Dodd Named As SMC Sand Head Coach
2/28/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Beach Volleyball
MORAGA, Calif. -- The Saint Mary's sand volleyball team will be in good hands this spring with the announcement Friday that legendary sand player and coach Mike Dodd has joined the program as its new head coach.
Dodd replaces Brent Crouch, who accepted the head coaching position at Portland last month. The Gaels' new head man brings a resume rivaled by very few in the sport of sand volleyball. Together with partner Mike Whitmarsh, he won the Silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the first Olympic games to offer beach volleyball. He enjoyed a tremendous 18-year playing career, earning AVP Best Defensive Player four times, Best Spiker once, Most Inspirational three times and AVP Sportsman of the Year twice.
He also played professionally in Italy and by the time he wrapped up his playing career, Dodd owned 75 career titles. He is a 2012 inductee into the Volleyball Hall of Fame and also a member of the California Beach Volleyball Association Hall of Fame.
After his playing career ended, Dodd made the transition to coaching and continued to find success. His teams won 23 Open titles and compiled a .722 winning percentage. He coached the men's duo of Jake Gibb/Sean Rosenthal and the women's team of Nicole Branagh/Elaine Youngs, leading Gibb and Rosenthal to a fifth-place finish at both the Beijing and London Olympics.
Dodd also serves as a television analyst for NBC, has served on the AVP Player Board of Directors and was also did a stint as commissioner of the AVP in 2010. He is a member of the San Diego State Athletic Hall of Fame, having starred in both basketball and volleyball for the Aztecs in the late 1970s.
"To say that we are ecstatic to have Mike coaching our beach volleyball team would be a gross understatement," Saint Mary's volleyball coach Rob Browning said. " Mike is a beach legend with playing and coaching experience a mile long and at the highest levels of the sport, and that's not even what makes Mike such a great coach. He is a passionate teacher who not only knows what to teach, but how to teach it. Mike connects with the players he coaches and the players in turn give their very best for him.
"He has a way about him where training sessions are focused, intense, and fun all at the same time. My ultimate goal for our student athletes is to provide an unforgettable experience in an environment in which they will thrive. Adding Mike to our volleyball program certainly enhances that experience for all of us."
Dodd has plenty of familiarity with the program he steps into. His daughter, Dalas, is the Gaels' setter and is currently a sophomore for Browning on the indoor team. She is also an accomplished sand player, having reached the knockout round of the AVCA Collegiate Sand Championships last year with partner Jordan Shaw. Both Dodd and Shaw are back again this year as the Gaels begin their 2014 season at Moraga Commons on March 19 against Sacramento State.
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Monday, March 30
BSB | Saint Mary's at Portland Highlights, 3-29-26
Sunday, March 29
SB | Saint Mary's vs. Pacific Highlights, 3-29-26
Sunday, March 29
BSB | Saint Mary's at Portland Highlights, 3-28-26
Saturday, March 28
