Iconic Pepperdine men's volleyball coach…
Iconic Pepperdine men's volleyball coach Marv Dunphy steps down after 34 seasons
Pepperdine men's volleyball coach Marv Dunphy won 611 matches and four NCAA titles during an illustrious 34-year coaching career. (Photo courtesy of Pepperdine University)
Pepperdine coach Marv Dunphy enjoyed success at the collegiate and international level. (Photo courtesy of Pepperdine University).
The task was arduous.
Marv Dunphy and his Pepperdine men's volleyball coaching staff recently began the process of digitalizing their VHS game films.
With over 1,000 tapes to convert, there were certainly nuggets from Dunphy's decorated career.
"We'd get excited. We'd say, 'Let's pop this practice from 1986. Or this match from 1991," Dunphy said. "I think it would be neat to send to a few of the players once the tapes are converted."
The VHS tapes certainly gave Dunphy a chance for reflection over a distinguished 34-year career that included numerous NCAA championships and Olympic medals.
On Monday, Dunphy decided it was the end of the line.
Dunphy announced he was stepping down as Pepperdine's iconic head coach, leaving behind a legacy of titles, All-Americans and glory along the way.
"It's just time for somebody else to take it and run with it," Dunphy said. "Going forward in my life, it gives me a little more flexibility."
Dunphy met with the team on Monday and personally called every recruit and broke the news to recruits, including Westlake's Troy Magorien and Calabasas' Brendin Chandler.
Dunphy said he plans to continue to teach his sports administration class and remain involved with the athletic department.
"I have had a lot of conversations with lots of players this morning and throughout the day, and one of their big concerns is 'Are you healthy?' And I am," said Dunphy, 69. "Every coach feels the way I do, that their program is their baby. Even though it is the university's, you put your brand on it, and I am going to be as supportive as I can from the outside.
"It's good for me to stay involved with the university. I think if I was riding off into the sunset, you retire and your life changes. You go on vacations or you stay in your garden. For me, only the coaching part is going to change.
"I've planned my volleyball classes and volleyball program better than my life in some regards."
No successor has been named, and Dunphy said he was not grooming a particular candidate to replace him.
Sources say that associate head coach David Hunt would be considered a frontrunner, a coach from the same Dunphy mold. It would not be a surprise if Pepperdine hired one of Dunphy's former players either.
"Every guy who's been there, I wouldn't bring someone in unless I thought they could do a job," Dunphy said.
Regardless, the successor will have a hard act to follow.
Dunphy, a 1974 Pepperdine graduate, recorded a 612-277 record for a .688 winning percentage, winning the NCAA championship in 1978, 1985, 1992 and 2005. Pepperdine also finished runner-ups five times — in 1983, 1984, 1998, 2002 and 2008.
Dunphy also coached in seven Olympics, winning gold in 1988 and 2008, silver in 2012 and bronze in 2016.
"What happens, with an Olympic champion or NCAA champion, is players jumping up and down and that goofy emotion. But that's temporary," Dunphy said. "You remember how you did it and who you did it with more than anything."
Dunphy was the AVCA National Coach of the Year in 1985, the FIVB Coach of the Year in 1987 and a three-time Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Coach of the Year.
Six Pepperdine players have won National Player of the Year awards, more than any other school. Pepperdine has boasted 75 All-Americans in Dunphy's tenure, including 38 first-teamers.
"Coach Dunphy embodies all that is good in athletic competition," Pepperdine President Andrew K. Benton said in a statement. "He strove for the best in every contest but never lost sight of the fact that he was, in fact, shaping future parents, leaders and citizens while coaching volleyball. He made all who came in contact with him better. His career record says it all from one perspective, but his impact will long be remembered as an even deeper investment in the quality of our lives, including mine."
Dunphy is also a member of many Hall of Fames, including the International Volleyball Hall of Fame (1994), the AVCA Hall of Fame (2009), the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame (2010) and Southern California Indoor Volleyball Hall of Fame (2017).
"Marv Dunphy is the greatest teacher and coach with whom I have ever been associated," Pepperdine athletic director Steve Potts said in a statement. "Through teaching and coaching volleyball, Marv has impacted the lives of countless student-athletes during their time at Pepperdine and even well beyond. He has been an incredible ambassador for Pepperdine University all around the world. He leaves a standard of excellence for which we should all strive as his legacy."
Dunphy had four different stints with Pepperdine due to educational reasons or National Team coaching commitments: 1977-78, 1982-85, 1989-99 and 2001-17. He has served as head coach for 34 of Pepperdine's 47 volleyball seasons.
Dunphy and his wife Su will continue to live in Malibu.
They had three children (Karen, Alexandra and Dijon) and three grandsons (Hunter, Shay and Trent). Alexandra won a national title for USC's women's volleyball program.
As far as retirement, Dunphy admits that picture is still coming into focus and said will be supportive of U.S. national team coach Karch Kiraly in any capacity.
"I'm not sure what retirement looks like yet — maybe we should call and ask my wife about our plans" Dunphy said, laughing.