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The oldest college men’s volleyball conference has selected the inaugural class for its hall of fame.
The MIVA announced Monday that 11 individuals who are among the most influential in the conference’s 56-year history were chosen to the MIVA Hall of Fame.
The inaugural class features seven former head coaches — Don Shondell, Jim Coleman, Doug Beal, Jackson Bailey, Ken Dunlap, Marvin Veronee and Ken Dunlap.
Former Ohio State players Aldis Berzins, Marc Waldie and Rich Duwelius, along with longtime sports information director D.C. Koehl also earned spots in the hall of fame.
“This is an important milestone for the conference,” MIVA Commissioner Craig Barnett said in a statement. “This class created the foundation for the league and paved the way for the MIVA’s continued success.”
Shondell and Coleman both founded the MIVA in 1961 and have already been inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame.
Shondell is the second winningest coach in NCAA men’s volleyball history and guided Ball State to 20 MIVA championships and 14 NCAA Tournament appearances. He also served the conference’s first president and was an eight-time recipient of the MIVA Coach of the Year.
Coleman helped establish the MIVA while at Wittenberg in the 1960s and then led George Williams to the 1974 NAIA national championship. Along with his time in the MIVA, Coleman served as the U.S. Men’s National Team head coach on three separate occasions and co-founded the NORCECA Championships.
Ohio State led all schools with six hall of fame inductees, including two former head coaches.
Beals not only was an All-American and the 1969 MIVA Player of the Year while in school at Ohio State, but he then coached the Buckeyes and was the 1973 MIVA Coach of the Year. The outgoing USA Volleyball CEO also was the head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team for three Olympics, including the 1984 games when it won a gold medal for the first time in the nation’s history.
Dunlap founded the Ohio State men’s volleyball program and was a two-time recipient of the MIVA Coach of the Year, including winning the award in 1969 after the Buckeyes finished the season undefeated. Besides his time on the court, he became the founder of Sports Imports Incorporated.
Among the coaches to make the MIVA Hall of Fame, four spent time at schools that are no longer members of the conference.
Baily from 1961-75 served as the head coach for Earlham, which was an original member of the MIVA. In addition, Baily was named the MIVA Coach of the Year in 1962 and 1964 and guided the Indiana college to the 1969 NAIA Championship.
Veronee coached George Williams to three consecutive MIVA regular season titles from 1961-63 in the conference’s first three years. In addition, Veronee was named the 1968 MIVA Coach of the Year.
McManama before being the longtime Ball State assistant coach served as the head coach at Indiana Tech for seven years and was named the 1964 MIVA Coach of the Year. He also was an All-MIVA selection in the conference’s inaugural season and earned the Ball State men’s volleyball lifetime achievement award.
McManama was the only former player not from Ohio State to make this hall of fame class.
Berzin was the first player to earn multiple MIVA Player of the Year awards and led Ohio State to four consecutive MIVA championships. The future U.S. Olympic gold medalist also helped the Buckeyes in 1977 advance to NCAA Tournament finals for the first time in program history.
Waldie was a four-time All-MIVA selection and three-time NCAA All-Tournament Team selection while playing for Ohio State. The 1976 MIVA Player of the Year would then go on to win a gold medal with the United States at the 1984 Olympics.
Duwelius while playing for Ohio State earned First-Team All-MIVA honors in 1976. He also was member of that same U.S. team that won an Olympic gold medal in 1984.
Koehl is the only non-player or coach to be inducted into the inaugural hall of fame class. He served from 1973 to 2012 as the sports information director for both Ohio State men’s volleyball and the MIVA and was a recipient of the USA Volleyball E. Douglas Boyden Media Recognition Award.
The inaugural class of the MIVA Hall of Fame will be honored Friday, May 5 in Columbus, Ohio, as part of the festivities surrounding the NCAA Tournament at Ohio State.
“Having a MIVA member hosting the national championship gave us the perfect platform to honor the first hall of fame class,” Barnett said. “It is going to be a special night and weekend in Columbus.”