Andy Banachowski
Encyclopedia
Andy Banachowski is an American
volleyball
coach. He was the head coach of the women's volleyball team at UCLA (1965–2010). He has more wins than any other Division I coach, and his record since the 1970 season is 1,060-281 (79.0%). He did not coach from 1968-1969 because of his graduation from UCLA. Under his coaching, the UCLA team has won six national championships (3 NCAA
-1984, 1990, 1991; 2 AIAW
-1974, 1975; and 1 DGWS-1972). Banachowski was twice an All-American volleyball player at UCLA under Al Scates
, and won USVBA national championships in 1965 & 1967 as a player.
He got his 1,000th career victory on Nov. 12, 2005, becoming the first Division I women's coach to reach 1,000 career victories when the Bruins handed eventual national champion Washington
its only loss of the season in a five-game thriller at Pauley Pavilion
. On January 11, 2010, he announced his retirement, effective June 30.
Originally from San Mateo, Banachowski now resides in Los Angeles
. He has two grown children, Bret, who played volleyball at UC Santa Cruz, and Amy, who was a three-year letterwinner from 1991-93 on the Bruin women's volleyball team.
In the 1984 NCAA Championship match against Stanford, UCLA marked one of the best comebacks in a single game. In the fifth and deciding game after splitting the first four games with the Cardinal, UCLA was down 11-2. In a fifth game, you had to reach 15 points to win the match. With heroics from Lis Masakayan, the Bruins were able to come up from being down 9 points and win the match and national championship, 15-12. This was before rally-scoring era, which would have made it much more unlikely that the Bruins would have pulled the comeback. Nonetheless, it was considered as one of the best comebacks in a fifth game.
.
If the 1984 comeback wasn't enough, they weren't finished with come from behind wins in national championship matches. In 1991, playing on their home court at Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins saw opponent Long Beach State take a commanding 2-0 game lead on them. With Long Beach being able to win the championship if they won the 3rd or 4th games, UCLA rallied back and took the next to games to force a fifth. They won the championship by winning the fifth game, pulling off one of the best comebacks in NCAA history. No team since then has been able to rally from a 0-2 deficit to win the national championship, although Penn State forced a 5th game after being down 0-2 in both 1997 and 1998 and Stanford did so in 2007, but each time ended up losing the fifth game.
On Oct. 24, 1997, Banachowski became the first women's volleyball coach in history to be inducted into the National Volleyball Hall of Fame
as a coach. He has since become the first volleyball inductee into the Serra High School and San Mateo County Halls of Fame.
Since 1981, the Bruins have appeared in 11 Final Fours, winning championships in 1984, 1990 and 1991 and earning runner-up finishes in 1981, 1983, 1992 and 1994.
, the 1992 Summer Olympics
Games in Barcelona, Spain, the 1995 Pan-American Games in Argentina
and the 1996 Summer Olympics
Games in Atlanta. Additionally, he coached the West Team in the 1986 U.S. Olympic Festival. In 1993, Banachowski was the head coach of the U.S. World University Games squad, a group which achieved the highest American finish in WUG history, earning a silver medal in Buffalo, New York
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
coach. He was the head coach of the women's volleyball team at UCLA (1965–2010). He has more wins than any other Division I coach, and his record since the 1970 season is 1,060-281 (79.0%). He did not coach from 1968-1969 because of his graduation from UCLA. Under his coaching, the UCLA team has won six national championships (3 NCAA
NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship
The NCAA has contested team championships in women's volleyball since 1981. The following is a list of the champions of each division with their record for the year in which they won the championship, and the runner up, city, site and other final four participants for division I...
-1984, 1990, 1991; 2 AIAW
AIAW Champions
The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women’s athletics and to administer national championships...
-1974, 1975; and 1 DGWS-1972). Banachowski was twice an All-American volleyball player at UCLA under Al Scates
Al Scates
Al Scates is an American former volleyball player and is the current volleyball coach of the UCLA Bruins of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation...
, and won USVBA national championships in 1965 & 1967 as a player.
He got his 1,000th career victory on Nov. 12, 2005, becoming the first Division I women's coach to reach 1,000 career victories when the Bruins handed eventual national champion Washington
Washington Huskies
Washington Huskies is the nickname of the University of Washington's athletic teams. The school is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The athletic program is made up of 9 men's sports and 10 women's sports Washington Huskies is the nickname of the University of Washington's athletic teams. The...
its only loss of the season in a five-game thriller at Pauley Pavilion
Pauley Pavilion
Edwin W. Pauley Pavilion, commonly known as Pauley Pavilion, is an indoor arena located in the Westwood Village district of Los Angeles, California, on the campus of UCLA. It is home to the UCLA Bruins men's and women's basketball teams...
. On January 11, 2010, he announced his retirement, effective June 30.
Originally from San Mateo, Banachowski now resides in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. He has two grown children, Bret, who played volleyball at UC Santa Cruz, and Amy, who was a three-year letterwinner from 1991-93 on the Bruin women's volleyball team.
1981-2010
Since NCAA began sponsoring women's sports in 1981, UCLA women's volleyball has earned 37 AVCA All-American honors, to go with 47 Volleyball Monthly/Magazine All-American awards. Banachowski has also coached players to numerous other awards, including 43 All-Pacific Region honors, 85 All-Pacific-10 awards, five Pac-10 Players of the Year and the National Player of the Year in 1992 (Natalie Williams). Eighteen Bruins have earned All-NCAA Tournament accolades, including Williams, who was named Most Outstanding Player in both 1990 and 1991. Williams also won two Honda Awards under Banachowski's tutelage in 1992 and `93, with Lis Masakayan earning the honor in 1985.1980s
In 1988, Banachowski received his first Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors. In 1989, he received his second straight Pac-10 honor, as well as being named the AVCA National Coach of the Year.In the 1984 NCAA Championship match against Stanford, UCLA marked one of the best comebacks in a single game. In the fifth and deciding game after splitting the first four games with the Cardinal, UCLA was down 11-2. In a fifth game, you had to reach 15 points to win the match. With heroics from Lis Masakayan, the Bruins were able to come up from being down 9 points and win the match and national championship, 15-12. This was before rally-scoring era, which would have made it much more unlikely that the Bruins would have pulled the comeback. Nonetheless, it was considered as one of the best comebacks in a fifth game.
1990s
UCLA won their 2nd NCAA title in 1990 by defeating Pacific, 3-0 in College Park, MarylandCollege Park, Maryland
College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, USA. The population was 30,413 at the 2010 census. It is best known as the home of the University of Maryland, College Park, and since 1994 the city has also been home to the "Archives II" facility of the U.S...
.
If the 1984 comeback wasn't enough, they weren't finished with come from behind wins in national championship matches. In 1991, playing on their home court at Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins saw opponent Long Beach State take a commanding 2-0 game lead on them. With Long Beach being able to win the championship if they won the 3rd or 4th games, UCLA rallied back and took the next to games to force a fifth. They won the championship by winning the fifth game, pulling off one of the best comebacks in NCAA history. No team since then has been able to rally from a 0-2 deficit to win the national championship, although Penn State forced a 5th game after being down 0-2 in both 1997 and 1998 and Stanford did so in 2007, but each time ended up losing the fifth game.
On Oct. 24, 1997, Banachowski became the first women's volleyball coach in history to be inducted into the National Volleyball Hall of Fame
Volleyball Hall of Fame
The Volleyball Hall of Fame was founded to honor extraordinary players, coaches, officials, and leaders who have made significant contributions to the game of volleyball. The hall is located in Holyoke, Massachusetts, where volleyball was invented in 1895 by William G...
as a coach. He has since become the first volleyball inductee into the Serra High School and San Mateo County Halls of Fame.
2000s
Aside from Banachowski earning his 1,000th career victory in 2005, a year later Banachowski led the team to their first 30-win season and final four appearance since 1994. Banachowski was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2003.Since 1981, the Bruins have appeared in 11 Final Fours, winning championships in 1984, 1990 and 1991 and earning runner-up finishes in 1981, 1983, 1992 and 1994.
Olympic coaching
Banachowski has been involved with the U.S. Olympic Team as a coach many times. He is a former advisor with the U.S. National Team, helping teams during the 1990 Goodwill GamesGoodwill Games
The Goodwill Games was an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s...
, the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
Games in Barcelona, Spain, the 1995 Pan-American Games in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
Games in Atlanta. Additionally, he coached the West Team in the 1986 U.S. Olympic Festival. In 1993, Banachowski was the head coach of the U.S. World University Games squad, a group which achieved the highest American finish in WUG history, earning a silver medal in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
Honors and awards
- 2009 National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame, Troy, Mich.
- 2006 AVCA Coach of the Year, Pacific Region Coach of the Year, Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year
- 2003 AVCA Hall of Fame induction
- 2000 USA Volleyball All-time great coach, George L. Fisher "Leader in volleyball" award
- 1998 Pacific Region Coach of the Year, Pac-10 Coach of the Year
- 1997 Induction into the National Volleyball Hall of Fame (coach)
- 1994 Pac-10 Coach of the Year
- 1993 Pacific Region Coach of the Year, Pac-10 Coach of the Year
- 1992 Pacific Region Coach of the Year
- 1989 AVCA Coach of the Year, Pacific Region Coach of the Year, Pac-10 Coach of the Year
- 1988 Pac-10 Coach of the Year