Volleyball Hall of Fame Enshrines Six Legends

CONTACT:
George Mulry
Volleyball Hall of Fame Executive Director
E-Mail: george.mulry@volleyhall.org
Phone: 413-250-1196

HOLYOKE, Mass. (Oct. 28, 2011) – The Volleyball Hall of Fame enshrined six legendary individuals as part of its 26th induction class on Friday evening in the birthplace of the sport, Holyoke, Mass. The Volleyball Hall of Fame now has a total of 106 inductees representing 19 different countries.

The Class of 2011 hails from six countries representing the elite players and leaders within the sport. The newest induction class consists of women’s indoor players Magaly Carvajal of Cuba and Rita Crockett of the United States, men’s indoor players Lorenzo Bernardi of Italy, Hugo Conte of Argentina and Vladimir Grbic of Serbia, and volleyball leader Dr. Frantisek Stibitz of the Czech Republic, who has passed away. A short biographical sketch on each inductee can be found below with an excerpt from their acceptance speech.

“Tonight was a fantastic evening showcasing the sport of volleyball through six legends being inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame,” said Volleyball Hall of Fame Executive Director George Mulry. “All six individuals have made a lasting mark on the sport and we are honored to have them memorialized here in Holyoke as part of the Hall of Fame.”

“This is one of the most unique and special classes ever at the Volleyball Hall of Fame; all the remarkable players really represent the modern era of the sport and all are exceptional performers on and off the court,” said Volleyball Hall of Fame International Selection Committee co-chair Doug Beal. “They have given back so much to the sport they played, were excellent in and love. The connection to the history of the sport comes through one of the original founders of the FIVB at the Paris Conference in April of 1947, Dr. Frantisek Stibitz. So there was a terrific thread of old to new with this class. What a wonderful group of human beings that represent the very special character and passion of our sport all over the world. It was an honor to see all the inductees react so emotionally and honestly to their recognition.”

For the second year in a row, the Volleyball Hall of Fame induction ceremony was shown live to a worldwide audience through video stream. Other dignitaries attending the enshrinement ceremony included past inductees Doug Beal and Michael O’Hara from the Class of 1989, Al Monaco from the Class of 1997. The Mayor of Holyoke, the honorable Elaine Pluta, also attended the induction ceremony.

In addition to the inductees, the Volleyball Hall of Fame recognized Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. with the William G. Morgan Award. The Mintonette Award was presented to John O’Donnell.

Inductee Quotes

Rita Crockett: “I would like to thank the Volleyball Hall of Fame who made this all possible. I would like to congratulate the class of 2011 – Hugo, Magaly, Vladimir – thank you for making me feel awesome. This is a special, special time for me. I have been asked what it means to be inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame many times…As I really sat down and really thought about what is going on, it is more than you can even imagine. The only thing I can say is my daughter Maury and my husband Rene are my world, and this is in that category.”

Lorenzo Bernardi: “For me, this is a very big honor that this evening I receive induction into the Volleyball Hall of Fame. I am very, very happy because volleyball for me was, is and I hope, will be my life. In this fantastic evening, I want to thank all my teams, all the players that I have played with and against in my career. I am sure without them I couldn’t play a lot of games, a lot of tournaments and a lot of amazing finals and for my teammates a lot of victories. I want to thank all the people working around the world in volleyball like the FIVB, the Italian Federation and club teams where I could play my career. Without them, my dreams could not become reality. I want to thank all my fans because they helped me in every situation.”

Hugo Conte: “It is a huge honor and pleasure to be inducted tonight into the Volleyball Hall of Fame. To be here today means we have accomplished many things. To get to this point in life, I have had to go through many trials and tribulations, but along the way I had a lot of fun. I give thanks to my parents for giving me the opportunity to play sports and volleyball, and to my brother who tested me along the way, my trainers, and to my teammates – especially those from the 1980s. I have been fortunate to play with many of the great volleyball players in the world. Four years ago, I had the chance to play alongside my son (Facundo), and that was my largest dream I could have.”

Magaly Carvajal: “I would like to dedicate this award to my sister and parents,” Carvajal said. “I would also like to give thanks to my coach Eugenio George (2005 Volleyball Hall of Fame inductee) for being patient with me and giving me the character I had on the court.”

Vladimir Grbic: “There is no such expression or feelings on how I feel right now,” Grbic said. “I do not have the words to explain my feelings about me being inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame…As vice president of the Serbia Volleyball Federation and a leader of its Olympic Commission, now everything makes sense. I am feeling like a ring in a long chain. So now it is my responsibility to give the passion and love of this sport to all of the next generation. I think it is not just the Hall of Fame, it is making a better tomorrow.”

Volleyball Hall of Fame Class of 2011

Lorenzo Bernardi (Italy) – MALE INDOOR PLAYER
Lorenzo Bernardi is arguably among the best volleyball players ever to play the sport by turning his all-around skills into a key piece of Italy’s success. Born in 1968, he started his long playing career as a setter before switching to become a dominating hitter and passer. Bernardi’s versatility became a special trademark en route to becoming a multi-talented hitter, excellent passer and one of the greatest all-around performers of his era.

Bernardi competed in three Olympic Games, the first coming in 1988 at the age of 20. However, the ninth-place finish at the Seoul Games was not expected after Italy earned a bronze medal at the 1984 Olympic Games. Behind Bernardi’s added experience, Italy regrouped in the following Olympic quadrennial with gold medals at the 1989 European Championship and the 1990 FIVB World Championship. In addition, the Italians claimed the silver medal at the 1989 FIVB World Cup. Bernardi was named the most valuable player of the 1992 FIVB World League after the Italians won the event for the third time in a row.

With its success leading up to 1992 Olympic Games, Italy was among the favorites to reach the medal podium in Barcelona. Behind Bernardi’s performance, Italy started the Barcelona Games with four straight Pool A victories before falling to the United States in four sets. During the quarterfinal round, Netherlands topped Italy in a hard-fought five-set match. Italy bounced back with straight sets victories over Spain and Japan to end the 1992 Olympic Games in fifth-place finish.

Bernardi was named the Best Player of the 1994 FIVB World Championship after Italy captured the gold medal for the second consecutive time. In 1995, Italy captured the European Championship and the FIVB World Cup title, which qualified the squad for the 1996 Olympic Games. Bernardi was elected the best player again for the 1995 European Championship.

During Bernardi’s final Olympic Games appearance in 1996 in Atlanta, Italy won all five of its Pool B matches in straight sets. Italy continued its success with a four-set victory over Argentina in the quarterfinals, followed by a four-set semifinal victory over Serbia & Montenegro to reach its first-ever Olympic gold-medal match. However, Netherlands battled to a five-set victory leaving Italy with the silver medal.

After not playing for Italy in its bronze-medal finish at the 2000 Olympic Games, Bernardi returned to the team to assist the squad to the silver medal at the 2001 European Championship. Overall, he competed 306 times for Italy in international competition. In 2001, Bernardi was selected as the co-FIVB Volleyball Player of the Century in 2001 along with Volleyball Hall of Fame member Karch Kiraly.

Bernardi played all but one year in Italy, starting with Padova in the 1984-85 season. After his first year, he signed with Modena where he was a central figure for the club from 1985 to 1990. He moved on to Sisley Treviso, where he stayed for over a decade from 1990 to 2002. Bernardi then played two seasons with Trento from 2002 to 2004, followed by a season with Macerata in 2004-2005. He was part of nine Italian League championship teams to cement his legendary status in his home country. After a year playing for Olympiakos Piraeus in Greece during the 2005-2006 season, Bernardi returned to play for Verona in the Italian league for the 2005 to 2007 seasons, finishing his playing career with Montichiari in 2008.

During the 2010-2011 season, Bernardi took over as head coach of the Polish club Jastrzebski Wegiel, leading it to a fourth-place finish in the CEV Champions League. At the 2011 FIVB Club World Championships, he guided Jastrzebski to a silver-medal finish.

Magaly Carvajal (CUBA) – FEMALE INDOOR PLAYER
Magaly Carvajal was a dominating middle blocker standing out among a physically dominating Cuban team during the 1990s.

Carvajal is regarded as one of the best blockers of all-time and a huge part of Cuba’s Olympic success in the 1990s. At 6-foot-3 or 190 centimeters tall, she used an 11-foot vertical jump touch rivaled only by teammate Mireya Luis, who was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2004. Aside from her stellar blocking and hitting, opponents often were intimidated simply by her stare through the net often termed as the “the look of death.”

From a period starting with the 1989 FIVB World Cup to the 1996 Olympic Games, Cuba missed out on winning the gold in just one major competition. Carvajal was a major part of Cuba’s gold medals won at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona and the 1996 Olympic Games won in Atlanta. She led Cuba to gold medals at both the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games.

As a 23-year-old, Carvajal helped Cuba go undefeated at the 1992 Olympics. Cuba was challenged by the United States with a five-set victory in the semifinals before winning the gold in four sets over the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as the former USSR was then known.

During the 1996 Olympic Games, Cuba overcame a 2-2 record in pool play with losses to Brazil and Russia by defeating the United States in the quarterfinals. During the semifinal round, Cuba avenged its pool loss to Brazil with an exciting five-set victory. Cuba defeated China in four sets in the title match to win its second consecutive Olympic gold medal. Following the 1996 Olympic Games, Carvajal was named as one of the top three players in the world.

While the Olympic Games success brought Cuba worldwide acclaim for winning gold medals, other titles helped build the Cuban volleyball reputation as a true dynasty. Carvajal helped pace Cuba to the gold medal at the 1994 FIVB World Championship. She also collected three FIVB World Cup gold medals in 1989, 1991 and 1995. The only major event that escaped her reach was the 1990 FIVB World Championship in which Cuba finished off the podium in fourth place.

As a naturalized citizen of Spain in 1998, Carvajal competed on Spain’s national team in 2001 and 2002. In addition, she became a dominant player in the Spanish professional volleyball league. She helped Spar Tenerife Marichal to the European Champions League title in 2003-04. In September of 2010, she agreed to serve as coach and player for Feel Volley Alcobendas in Spain’s Superliga second division.

Hugo Conte (ARGENTINA) – MALE INDOOR PLAYER
Hugo Conte, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1963, was a symbol of pride for Argentina on volleyball courts across the world for over 16 years, a period in which Argentina was in contention for podium finishes in every major international competition.

Conte was widely respected as one of the most intelligent and best all-around players in the world on a team that mirrored his special skills. At the age of 21, he made his Olympics debut at the 1984 Los Angeles Games as Argentina had hopes of a medal finish after earning the bronze medal at the 1982 FIVB World Championship hosted in Buenos Aires. After two losses to the United States and Brazil to start Olympic pool play, Argentina defeated Tunisia before a tough, five-set loss to Korea to end Pool A pushed the team into the 5-8 classification round. After a four-set win over Japan, Argentina ended the 1984 Olympics in sixth place with a second loss to Korea.

A year after the 1984 Olympics, Argentina earned a fifth-place finish at the 1985 FIVB World Cup in its first-ever appearance in the tournament. At the 1986 FIVB World Championship, Argentina placed seventh.

Conte and Argentina returned to the Olympics in 1988 with the Games being staged in Seoul, and this time a podium spot was a real possibility with the growth and added international experience of the team. Argentina opened pool play with wins over Tunisia and Japan before a heart-breaking five-set loss to the United States after being up 2-0 to the eventual gold medalists. Argentina split their final two pool matches, defeating Netherlands and losing to France. Despite the final loss, Argentina still qualified for the semifinal round where it lost to the powerhouse Soviet Union team in three sets. Argentina rallied from the loss to battle past Brazil in a five-set victory to capture the bronze medal.

Conte played professionally in three different countries – Argentina, France and Italy – but predominantly in the Italian league. He competed for Argentina’s Ferro Carril Oeste in three different tenures from 1978 to 1982, 1986 to 1987 and 1998 to 1999. After initial venture into club volleyball in his home country, Hugo played one season with France’s AS Cannes from 1982 to 1983. He made a name for himself in Italy with seasons with Pallavolo Parma from 1983 to 1984, Victor Village Ugento from 1984 to 1986, Acqua Pozzillo Catane from 1987 to 1990, Carimonte Modena from 1990 to 1993, Alpitour Diesel Cuneo from 1993 to 1994, Tally Milan from 1994 to 1995, Playa Catania from 1995 to 1998 and returning to Pallavolo Parma briefly for the 2000-2001 season. Overall, his club playing career spanned 23 years, starting with Ferro Carril Oeste in his native country and ending in 2001 with Parma.

Conte’s Olympic debut in 1984 was not the only special occasion that year as he helped Parma of the Italian Serie A win the prestigious European Champions League the same year.

After a 12-year absence from the Olympics, Conte participated in his third Olympic Games in 2000 after missing out on Argentina’s participation in the 1996 Games. Argentina qualified for the 2000 Olympic Games through the World Olympic qualification tournaments with a 37-year-old Hugo as the elder statesman. Argentina started the 2000 Olympic Games strong with victories over United States and Korea, before losing to highly regarded Italy, Serbia & Montenegro and Russia in three straight matches. Argentina regrouped to defeat South American rival Brazil in the quarterfinals. However, Russia ended Argentina’s run at gold with a four-set semifinal victory, and Italy denied Argentina a medal with a victory in the bronze-medal match.

Away from the indoor courts, Conte played one season of beach volleyball on the FIVB World Tour and its Challenger and Satellite series in 1997. Competing with Fabio Perez, the duo placed ninth at the tour stop in Berlin for its top finish in eight tournaments.

The name Conte will likely be placed on Argentina volleyball rosters for many years to come with Hugo’s son Facundo now being a member of the Argentina Men’s National Team. At the age of 21, the same year as his father reached his first Olympic Games, Facundo was selected as Argentina’s vice-captain for the 2010 FIVB World Championship just one year after helping Argentina’s Junior National Team to a bronze-medal finish at the 2009 FIVB Men’s Junior World Championship.

Rita Crockett (UNITED STATES) - FEMALE INDOOR PLAYER
Considered as one of the best all-round volleyball players ever in the world, Rita Crockett has been a trailblazer in the sport of volleyball for parts of five decades and continues to be active in the sport today.

After earning AIAW All-American honors in 1977 as a part of the legendary University of Houston volleyball team along with the late Volleyball Hall of Famer Flo Hyman, Crockett turned her skills to the international volleyball scene and helped put the United States among the elite programs. She was selected to the 1980 U.S. Women’s Olympic Volleyball Team, which was among the favorites to win the gold medal at the Moscow Olympic Games. However, the Crockett and her teammates were denied the chance for Olympic stardom in 1980 due to the United States boycott of the Moscow Games.

Despite the disappointment of not competing in Moscow, Crockett channeled her energies into her volleyball career. In 1981, she was voted to the All-World Team as one of the top six players as she played a key role in the U.S. placing fourth at the FIVB World Cup in Osaka, Japan. One year later, Crockett and her American teammates captured the bronze medal at the FIVB World Championship in Lima, Peru. That momentum carried over into the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles as the U.S. reached the medal round with victories over West Germany, China and Brazil. Team USA reached the gold-medal match with a four-set victory over Peru in the semifinals, guaranteeing the Americans their first-ever Olympic Games volleyball medal. In the gold-medal match, a Chinese team led by Volleyball Hall of Famer Lang Ping earned the title with the U.S. taking home the silver medal.

Outside of the U.S. National Team program, Crockett played 16 years of professional volleyball in Japan, Italy and Switzerland. From 1982 to 1986, she honed her skills in Japan’s V-League playing for Daiei. In her final season with Daiei, she helped lead the squad to the V-League title.

Crockett returned to the United States to play in the new Major League Volleyball league from 1986-87, earning the league’s most valuable player in 1987. During this time, she moved into the coaching field serving as an assistant with Long Beach State University from 1986 to 1988. While not competing in the MLV or coaching, Crockett took to the sand and became an accomplished beach volleyball star competing on the Women’s Professional Volleyball Association Tour from 1988 to 1996. In 1989, she teamed with Volleyball Hall of Famer Jackie Silva to win the World Beach Volleyball Championship to become the first African-American woman to earn the title. The following season she was the league runner-up with Angela Rock.

Crockett’s indoor career continued in Italy with Matera and Rome from 1988 to 1993. In the 1989-90 season, she doubled as Matera’s head coach. During the 1991 season, Crockett was named the most valuable player of the Italian League and would later help Rome win the European Club Championship (CEV Cup) in 1993.

Crockett transferred her skills to the Swiss League from 1993 to 1998 as she played for RTV Basel, doubling as the team’s head coach. RTV Basel won the Swiss Cup from 1994 to 1996, the Swiss Championship from 1995 to 1996 and participated in the European Cup of Champions in 1995. Crockett, who also served as the Swiss National Team Head Coach in 1995, was named most valuable player of the league four times.

After her playing career ended in 1998, Crockett continued to coach back in the United States. She served as the head coach at the University of Iowa from 1998 to 2004 before taking on the associate head volleyball coach role at Florida State University in 2004 to 2005. From 2000 to 2002, she was active within USA Volleyball High Performance pipeline coaching youth volleyball players.

Crockett, who was named to USA Volleyball’s Women’s All-Era Team for 1978 to 2003, established the Rita Crockett Academy in 2005 and serves as the director and head court trainer for the North Florida Volleyball Academy.

Vladimir Grbic (SERBIA) - MALE INDOOR PLAYER
Vladimir Grbic was known for his powerful attacks and precision passing on the volleyball court, but was a true sportsman representing Yugoslavia and Serbia with the highest of moral standards and exceptional character.

Grbic played in three Olympic Games starting with the 1996 Atlanta Games at the age of 25. After a 2-2 record in Pool B at the 1996 Olympic Games, Grbic and Yugoslavia won an exciting five-set match over Brazil in the quarterfinal round. However, Italy stopped Yugoslavia in four sets in the semifinals. Yugoslavia came back to win the bronze medal with a four-set win over Russia.

On the heels of his country’s first-ever Olympic medal, Grbic led Yugoslavia back into the Olympics during the 2000 Sydney Games, which showed the resiliency of a squad coming back from early disappointment. Yugoslavia lost its first two pool matches to Russia and Italy before taking victories over United States, Argentina and Korea to finish third in the group. Yugoslavia narrowly defeated Netherlands in a five-set quarterfinal match, then avenged its pool loss to gold-medal favorite Italy with a straight set victory in the semifinals. Yugoslavia captured the 2000 Olympic Games gold-medal with a three-set win over Russia in the title match. During the gold-medal match, Grbic produced one the greatest signature plays of all time by jumping over the court banner system to retrieve the ball, then came back onto the court in time to block a Russia attack with Yugoslavia leading 15-12 in the third set.

Grbic also participated in the 2004 Olympic Games as part of the Serbia and Montenegro squad, After opening with a loss to Poland, Serbia & Montenegro bounced back to win its final four pool matches at the 2004 Olympic Games. However, Serbia and Montenegro had its tournament end prematurely with a fifth-place finish following a quarterfinal loss to Russia.

In addition to the Olympic Games, Grbic’s trophy case includes medals from many major international events. During FIVB World Championship competition, he led Yugoslavia to the silver medal in 1998. Grbic helped his country to the silver medal at the 2003 FIVB World League between bronze finishes in 2002 and 2004. At the European Championship, he helped his country to the gold medal in 2001, the silver medal in 1997 and bronze finishes in 1995 and 1999. Grbic also earned a bronze medal at the 2001 FIVB World Grand Champions Cup.

Grbic played in a total of 242 matches for his National Team until his retirement in 2009 at the age of 38.

Along with his National Team experience, Grbic played professional club volleyball in seven different countries from 1990 to 2009. He competed for Zagreb and Novi Sad in his home country from 1990 to 1992 before venturing to Italy to play for Padova and Cuneo from 1992 to 1997. Grbic traveled further from his home for the 1997-98 club season to play for Sao Paulo in Brazil prior to returning to Italy to play for Roma Volley from 1998 to 2001. He played consecutive one-year tenures with Japan’s Osaka Blazers, Greece’s P.A.O.K and Russia’s Dynamo Moscow – all dominant teams in their leagues. Grbic played for Italy’s Latina from 2004 to 2007 before concluding his club career with Turkey’s Fenerbahce Istanbul from 2007 to 2009.

The Yugoslavia Olympic Committee declared Grbic as its best Sportsman of the Year in 1996 and 2000. He also received the Golden Badge in 1999 and 2000 as Yugoslavia’s best athlete. In 2006, the Association of Serbian National Team Players presented him with the “Fair Play” award.

Grbic served on the Athletes Commission of the Olympic Committee of Serbia and as President of the Fund of the Olympic Committee of Serbia.

Grbic was selected to the FIVB Development Commission during the FIVB Congress held in 2006. He became the first-ever active player to serve on the FIVB Commission. Grbic currently serves as vice-president of the Volleyball Federation of Serbia.

Volleyball is a family affair for Grbic as his father Milos was a former member of the National Team and his brother Nikola is a current member of the team. Vladimir and Nikola played together at the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games.

Dr. Frantisek Stibitz (CZECH REPUBLIC) - LEADER
The late Dr. Frantisek Stibitz, who passed away on March 3, 2008, was a pioneer and leader in the establishment of international volleyball around the world.

Dr. Stibitz was truly one of the legends of the FIVB and world volleyball. He was one of the founding fathers of the Federation of Internationale de Volleyball or FIVB, representing Czechoslovakia at the inaugural FIVB organizational meeting in April 1947. Dr. Stibitz participated in the FIVB organizational meeting held in Paris alongside representatives from Belgium, Brazil, Egypt, France, Netherlands, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Uruguay, United States and Yugoslavia. That meeting helped pave the way for the FIVB to bring nations together and creating momentum toward the first World Championship events in 1949 and ultimately inclusion into the Olympic Games in 1964.

In 1950, Dr. Stibitz started working actively as a member of various commissions in charge of defining both the rules and the terminology for various disciplines, namely volleyball, but also basketball and judo.

Dr. Stibitz’s published “Volleyball” in 1958 and it was translated in whole or in parts into several languages, including Russian and Romanian. He authored 20 college text books and other publications while writing over 200 papers in Czech and foreign journals.

In 1966, Dr. Stibitz was named a member of the FIVB Rules of the Game Commission (RGC), which he then headed from 1978 to 1980. Among his many ideas, the FIVB approved his proposal for using paddles for substitutions to help speed up the match and avoid any confusion. Today, the paddle system is still in use as a way for the referees and scorekeepers to track players who are entering and existing the match.

In 1977, Dr. Stibitz submitted to the FIVB a first draft of a completely new guide which explained in detail all the rules and the terminology to be used while carrying out any volleyball competition. This document was approved during the 1980 Olympic Games.

In 1998 he was appointed as an honorary member of the Czech Volleyball Federation and simultaneously inducted into its Hall of Fame. He devoted his last years to the establishment of the Czech Volleyball Hall of Fame.

In addition to his leadership roles, Dr. Stibitz was a successful coach in his own right. He led the Egyptian volleyball team to two gold medals at the Pan –African and Pan-Arabic Championships in 1965 and 1966, respectively.

ABOUT THE VOLLEYBALL HALL OF FAME

2011
Lorenzo Bernardi (Italy); Magaly Carvajal (Cuba); Hugo Conte (Argentina); Rita Crocket (United States); Vladimir Grbic (Serbia); Dr. Frantisek Stibitz (Czech Republic)
William G. Morgan Award: Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.
Mintonette Award: John O'Donnell

2010
Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar (Brazil); Gabriella Kotsis (Hungary); Gabriela Perez del Solar (Peru); Alexsandr Savin (Russia); Hubert Wagner (Poland)
Mintonette Medallion of Merit: Richard B. Lajoie
William G. Morgan Award: Mountain View Landscapes and Lawncare, Inc./Stephen Corrigan

2009
Ana Beatriz Moser (Brazil); Ivan Bugajenkov (Russia/Latvia); Nikolai Karpol (Russia); Paul Libaud (France); Holly McPeak (USA); Siegfried Schneider (Germany)
Mintonette Medallion of Merit: Francis G. Hamel (Spalding)

2008
Sinan Erdem (Turkey); Andrea Giani (Italy); Masae Kasai (Japan); Yuri Poyarkov (Ukraine); Vladimir Savvine (Russia); Randy Stoklos (USA)
William G. Morgan Award: City of Holyoke

2007
Bob Ctvrtlik (USA); Andrea Gardini (Italy); Carlos Nuzman (Brazil); Kerri Pottharst (Australia); Yuan Weimin (China); Dimitar Zlatanov (Bulgaria)
William G. Morgan Award: The Dowd Group
Mintonette Medallion of Merit: William "Ron" Collamore

2006
Bernie Holtzman (USA); Endre Holvay (Hungary); Jackie Silva (Brazil); Edward Skorek (Poland); Nina Smoleeva (Russia); Shigeo Yamada (Japan)
Court of Honor Award: The Japan Volleyball Association (JVA)

2005
Bernard Rajzman (Brazil); Eugenio George (Cuba); Stanislaw Gosciniak (Poland); Cecilia Tait (Peru); Konstantin Reva (Russia); Ron Lang (USA)
William G. Morgan Award: Holyoke Medical Center

2004
Karolyn Kirby (USA); Mireya Luis (Cuba); Josef Musil (Czech Republic); Seiji Oko (Japan)
William G. Morgan Award: Holyoke Gas & Electric

2003
Givi Akhvlediani (Russia); Jungo Morita (Japan); Sinjin Smith (USA); Julio Velasco (Italy)
William G. Morgan Award: PeoplesBank
Mintonette Medallion of Merit: Alex Stetynski

2002
Lang Ping (China); Tomasz Wojtowicz (Poland); Vyacheslav Platonov (Russia)
Court of Honor: 1990-1998 Italian Men's National Team
William G. Morgan Award: Volleyball Magazine
Mintonette Medallion of Merit: Kirk Kilgour

2001
Karch Kiraly (USA); Regla Torres (Cuba); Jean Gaertner (USA)
Mintonette Medallion of Merit: Karen Keirstead

2000
Hirofumi Daimatsu (Japan); Inna Ryskal (Russia); Takako Shirai (Japan); Yuri Tchesnokov (Russia); Harold Wendt (USA)

1999
Wilbur H. Peck (USA); James G. Wortham (USA)
Court of Honor: 1988 U.S. Men's Olympic Team
William G. Morgan Award: Volleyball Festival, Inc.
Mintonette Medallion of Merit: Corporators of the Volleyball Hall of Fame

1998
William Baird (USA); Craig Buck (USA); Dusty Dvorak (USA); Yasutaka Matsudaira (Japan); Steve Timmons (Japan); Paula Weishoff (Japan)

1997
Andy Banachowski (USA); Albert Monaco Jr. (USA); Pedro "Pete" Velasco (USA)
Court of Honor: United States Armed Forces
Mintonette Medallion of Merit: Richard Caplan

1996
Patricia Bright (USA); Donald Shondell (USA)
Court of Honor: Springfield College
Mintonette Medallion of Merit: Sally Kus

1995
Debbie Green (USA); Robert L. Lindsay (USA); C.L. "Bobb" Miller (USA); Arie Selinger (USA)
Court of Honor: Special Olympics International
William G. Morgan Award: Spalding Sports Worldwide

1994
Patty Dowdell (USA); Marv Dunphy (USA); John Koch (USA); Larry Rundle (USA)
Court of Honor: The American Volleyball Coaches Association William G. Morgan Award: ASICS

1993
Mike Bright (USA); Al Scates (USA)
Court of Honor: Federation Internationale de Volleyball

1992
Dr. James Coleman (USA); Merton H. Kennedy (USA); Jon Stanley (USA); Ron Von Hagen (USA)

1991
Dr. George J. Fisher (USA); Thomas Haine (USA); Rolf Engen (USA); Catalino Ignacio (USA)

1990
Col. Edward DeGroot (USA); Alton Fish (USA); Mary Jo Peppler (USA)
Court of Honor: USA Volleyball

1989
Douglas Beal (USA); Glen Davies (USA); Kathy Gregory (USA); Michael O'Hara (USA)
Court of Honor: Young Men's Christian Association

1988
Leonard Gibson; Flo Hyman (USA); Eugene Selznick (USA); Jane Ward (USA); Harry Wilson (USA)
Court of Honor: 1980 U.S. Women's Olympic Team and 1984 U.S. Men's Olympic Team

1986
Dr. Harold T. Friermood (USA)

1985
William G. Morgan (USA)

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