On June 18, 2009, UCLA Women’s Volleyball Coach Andy Banachowski will be inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. The setting will be Troy, Michigan.
It has been a long and fruitful journey. Many people contributed.
Andy Banachowski grew up in suburban San Francisco. After high school he left San Mateo for UCLA to play volleyball. He ended up staying.
He graduated in 1968, and was twice named an All-American. After playing volleyball for the Bruins, he became a lifetime UCLA Bruin.
He said it just happened that way. Hard work, loyalty and dedication seem more the watchword.
Also, doesn’t that formula resonate in a lot of other Polish-American success stories?
Currently, he has just completed his 42nd year as head coach of the UCLA women’s volleyball team.
Playing for UCLA legend Al Scales, Banachowski was on the 1965 and 1967 National Championship teams. He was part of four more National titles as Scales’ chief assistant coach, when the Bruin men won the NCAA in 1972, 1974, 1975 and 1976.
Longevity doesn’t make a Hall of Famer though. One needs to be the total package and in sports the highest accolades come from your peers. He has been National Coach of the Year twice, in 1989 and 2006. Also, he has been Pac-10 Coach of the Year five times.
In 1997, Banachowski was the first women’s volleyball coach in history to be inducted into the National Volleyball Hall of Fame. He has received every high accolade from the governing body, USA Volleyball.
Even with such a storied career, Coach Andy B., has future goals, “We want to get back to the Final Four next year. It will be held at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa Bay, Florida the second week in December. I am already looking forward to my team next year. We have some great talent returning.” He has won six national titles for the Bruin’s.
“Besides, I have a few more matches left against, USC, Pepperdine and Hawaii”, smiled Banachowski. Those schools have always been such admirable opponents for UCLA.
He has also been at the forefront of rule changes. “The NCAA went to 25-point sets last year,” said Banachowski. “We’ll have to get used to it,” continued Coach B. This will mirror the international scoring method. Olympic sports and the NCAA are trying to stay on the same page.
For commercial air line pilots and medical surgeons, grey hair is a badge of distinction. It exudes experience and confidence. This would hold true for seasoned volleyball coaches.
Not quite ready to be ‘Dzia-Dzia’, he goes by ‘Poppa Andy’, to his two grandchildren. “I’m not ready for the rocking chair yet. I’m very passionate about volleyball’s future. You know, 2011 will be so special, as sand volleyball will be a sanctioned NCAA emerging sport and we are getting a lot of television exposure”, continued Banachowski.
One of his personal coaching highlights was to be able to coach his daughter, Amy at UCLA. His son Brett played volleyball at UC Santa Cruz.
Banachowski has more victories than any other collegiate women’s volleyball coach in history. He gained his 1,000 career victory in 2005 at Pauley Pavilion over an unbeaten University of Washington team. Overall his UCLA coaching mark is 1,082 and 292. Also, at UCLA the women’s volleyball outdraws the men’s team.
In most successful NCAA Division I operations, there is a synergy the head coaches of the entire athletic staff share. They extend support and energy for each others programs. This is so evident at UCLA.
Besides Scales’ influence, also floating in the athletic administration building in Westwood, California is the aura of one very special legend, John Wooden. “I would ask Coach Wooden a lot of questions. He always made time when you would ask about his ‘teaching elements’ and his ‘pyramid of coaching’ techniques. What a treasure! He is still an educator with his advice and common sense approach to coaching young people,” continued Banachowski.
One of the nicest comments for a coach is to be addressed as teacher and educator. This mantle is accorded Banachowski.
This is documented by his mission statement for the women’s volleyball program. It dictates that his charges are true student-athletes. They ‘walk the walk’, as said in today’s vernacular and are truly the best and brightest. This only arrives in measurable data thru leadership and example.
The women’s volleyball team had the highest team grade point average, 3.25 of any squad at UCLA. Two of his seniors, Jade Machado and Kaitlin Sather were recipients of the Athletic Director’s Academic Excellence Award. Machado was named UCLA Scholar-Athlete of the year. Her GPA was 3.95. Academics have always been paramount to his programs.
“My dad grew up in Pittsburg and when he came to California, he gave my brother and I every opportunity for sports.” Chester Banachowski got the boys involved in swimming, basketball and volleyball. Dad also stressed education. “I followed my older brother Alex to UCLA for volleyball even though swimming was my best sport,” said Banachowski.
UCLA Director of Athletics, Dan Guerrero, summed it up best about Coach Andy Banachowski, “Bottom line, he truly is and sets the highest standard for women’s college volleyball.”
Besides co-founding the American Volleyball Coaches Association, Banachowski has been part of every aspect of the U.S. Olympic volleyball program. From administration, coaching, scouting and instructing, Banachowski has traveled the globe for volleyball. He has had 22 U.S. National Team members and 13 U.S. Olympians.
His coaching legacy will include his Polish heritage. Hard work and demanding expectations all combined with a humanistic style sums up his success formula.
“I haven’t been to Poland yet but it is on my schedule,” said the volleyball ambassador. Currently his 1983 book, The Women’s Game- Power Volleyball, is in its second printing.
Coach B. acknowledges and is humbly grateful to those who invested in him and those who came before him. He is modest and credits the many who have contributed to his accomplishments, including his many talented players. He always gives them the recognition.
The sporting world has observed Andy Banachowski. Now the athletic universe will get to celebrate the success and achievement of Andy Banachowski. Mentor and example, we all get to observe living history.
Most important, he is not finished.
In volleyball vernacular, it is all said with a simple, ‘Set-Bump-Spike’.