2010 Dr. James E. Coleman USA National Team Award - Jane Ward

2010 James E. Coleman National Team Award
Jane Ward

Jane Ward was a renaissance woman in the sport of volleyball, even though she didn’t take to the sport until age 22.

From the minute Jane Ward picked up the sport in 1954 until she retired as a player in 1968 and later as a coach, she made a lasting impact on the way the women’s game evolved. She changed how people in the United States viewed women’s volleyball. Ward mixed competitive fire and athletic ability that changed the sport’s genteel image for women.

During her college years, volleyball was not high among Ward’s interests. However, when she started playing at the age of 22, she added a new era to the sport. She learned to play volleyball at the Stockton YMCA from its men’s team of the 1950s.

From 1954 to 1968, Ward dominated USVBA volleyball as an outside hitter who also set and occasionally saw time at middle blocker. She led her teams to 12 national championships and was an All-American in 14 seasons. Ward was honored as Most Valuable Player at Nationals five times. She played for a variety of teams including the Long Beach Westerners, Breakers, Ahem Shamrocks, Shamrocks and Santa Monica Mariners.

While she developed a stellar domestic career, Ward also played her share of international matches as a seven-time member of the U.S. Women’s National Team. She was selected to the first two U.S. Olympic Teams in 1964 and 1968. Leading up to inclusion on the Olympic rosters, Ward was a member of the 1956 and 1960 U.S. teams at the FIVB World Championships. She also played in three Pan American Games starting with the 1959 and 1963 events, and concluding with one of career highlights – a gold medal at the 1967 Pan American Games. In 1969, Ward was the first female player to be honored with USA Volleyball’s All-Time Great Player Award.

During USA Volleyball’s 75th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee celebration, Ward was selected as the most valuable player of the 1949-1977 All-USA Volleyball women’s team. After retiring as a player in 1968, she was named as an All-Time Great Player the following year. Along with Flo Hyman, Ward was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame in 1988 to become the first two women to earn enshrinement into the international honor Hall.

Although Ward retired from playing the sport in 1968, she did not leave it entirely. She enjoyed plenty of success as a coach leading the Shamrocks of Long Beach, Calif., to eight Women’s Open Championships and two runner-up finishes.

Ward also put her coaching skills to work at Cabrillo College and San Jose State University. She led Cabrillo from 1970 to 1987 and simultaneously coached at San Jose State from 1973 to 1979. Ward was the San Jose State’s first-ever coach and led the Spartans to a 105-56 record. In 1978, San Jose State finished seventh at the AIAW Tournament. Ward ranks second at the school in all-time winning percentage with a .621 mark. During USA Volleyball’s 75th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee celebration, she brought home a second honor, that being a place on USA Volleyball’s 1949-1977 All-Era Coach list.

Ward has directed her playing activities toward a different sport since her volleyball playing days. She is an avid golfer and has won her country club’s annual golf championship on several occasions. From 1990 to 2001, Ward won seven titles at Vista Valley in 11 years. She later pursued senior championships and won five club championships in six years in that division.

For her remarkable career and support of the USA National Teams, USA Volleyball honors Jane Ward with the James E. Coleman National Team Award.