By Long Beach State women’s volleyball coach Brian Gimmillaro help create the foundation of producing some of the best volleyball talent the sport has ever seen. He coached Olympian Misty May-Treanor, who is arguably the greatest to play the sport of volleyball.
Gimmillaro led Treanor to winning National Player of the Year honors. He led the 1998 LBSU team to become the first team in NCAA history to go undefeated on the way to a national championship.
Gimmillaro has been consistently one of the best coaches in the game, coaching LBSU to a 21-10 record finishing second in the Big West Conference 13-3 last season. With Hawai’i head coach David Shoji announcing his retirement earlier this year, the 49ers would have been next in line to win the Big West next season under Gimmillaro.
However, Gimmillaro announced his retirement on Wednesday as head coach of the women’s volleyball team. He spent 32 years at Long Beach State leading the program to multiple accomplishments during his tenure.
“I would like to acknowledge Brian for his dedicated service to our campus and program,” Long Beach State Director of Athletics Andy Fee said in the press release. “We respect his decision to retire and what he has achieved over the past 30 years.”
Being hired back in 1985, Gimmillaro led the women’s volleyball program to the NCAA Tournament for 25 consecutive seasons beginning in 1987. He also won three national championships with LBSU in 1989, 1993 and 1998. Gimmillaro also coached 23 All-Americans and finishes his career with 835 wins and a 79 winning percentage.
“I can’t tell you how much this university, the players, and the community has meant to me. It is important for me to explore other opportunities,” Gimmillaro said in the press release. “I will miss all of you.”
Over his career at Long Beach State, Gimmillaro led the 49ers to 13 Big West Championships, most recently in 2014. He also entered the American Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2008.
For the Long Beach State Athletics program the recent news of Gimmillaro’s retirement, they will now launch a national search for his replacement. The next hire of the women’s volleyball coach will be Fee’s second hire, his first was the women’s basketball head coach Jeff Cammon.
