USA Volleyball to Honor Kathy DeBoer, Carl McGown at 2024 Hall of Fame

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Dec. 12, 2023) – USA Volleyball is set to celebrate some of the sport’s greatest athletes, coaches, officials and leaders at its 2024 Hall of Fame annual banquet and ceremony on May 22 at the Hilton Polaris in Columbus, Ohio.

Among the honorees will be Kathy DeBoer and the late Carl McGown, who will both receive the Harold T. Friermood “Frier” Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Frier Award is considered USA Volleyball’s highest honor. DeBoer and McGown will be the 55th and 56th honorees.

The Hall of Fame ceremony will take place one day before the 2024 USA Volleyball Open National Championship starts at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The proceeds from the event will go to the USA Volleyball Foundation to provide funding to support the Olympic & Paralympic dreams of the athletes in USA Volleyball’s national team programs. To purchase tickets and explore sponsorship opportunities, visit 2024 USA Volleyball Hall of Fame.

DeBoer retired as the executive director of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) on June 30, 2023, after 17 years in the role.

Among the AVCA’s accomplishments during her tenure:

• Creating partnerships with the 35 regions of USA Volleyball.
• Providing a $150,000 grant to First Point Volleyball Foundation as seed money to “fund the fundraising” for adding men’s college and high school boys volleyball programs. The number of college varsity programs has increased from 166 to 264 since the foundation was formed.
• Initiating the process for adding beach volleyball to the NCAA Emerging Sports list for women, which led to beach volleyball becoming an NCAA championship sport in 2016.

DeBoer received the USA Volleyball George J. Fisher Leader in Volleyball Award in 2015.

Before his death in 2016 at age 79, McGown served as a coach, leader and mentor within the U.S. Men’s National Volleyball Team program for more than 30 years.

McGown was also the head coach for the men’s volleyball team at BYU for 13 years. He won NCAA National Championships with the Cougars in 1999 and 2001.

For the mark left behind on the U.S. National Team and BYU volleyball programs, USA Volleyball awarded McGown the James E. Coleman National Team Award in 2014. He also earned the Donald S. Shondell All-Time Great Coach Award in 2000 and the George J. Fisher Leader in Volleyball Award in 1988.

USA Volleyball will announce more 2024 award winners, including All-Time Great athletes and coaches, soon.