[this story reported by Jack Hamann and Terry Wood]
01.10.15 | 11:40AM | CLARIFICATION added to end of report regarding Coach Debbie Brown's Notre Dame departure.
Jim McLaughlin, a coach who built the University of
Washington volleyball program into a national power, has told his players he is
leaving to become head coach at Notre Dame.
 |
| Jim McLaughlin -Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann |
Several sources, all insisting on anonymity, confirmed that
McLaughlin gave his team news of his pending departure Thursday night. Contacted
by The Seattle Times Friday night,
McLaughlin declined to comment. There has not yet been any statement from the
University of Washington Athletic Department.
If he signs a contract with Notre Dame, McLaughlin, 54, will
replace Debbie Brown, who resigned (see clarification, below) December 4 after 24 seasons in South Bend
and a 6-23 record last season. A Notre Dame spokesman said a volleyball
coaching announcement is expected sometime next week.
In 1996, McLaughlin was Brown’s assistant at Notre Dame. His
wife, Margaret, was a four-year soccer athlete and former assistant soccer
coach for the Fighting Irish. After years in the Big East Conference, Notre
Dame joined the Atlantic Coast Conference last fall.
During his 14 seasons in Seattle, McLaughlin made the
Huskies a perennial contender. His teams won three Pac-12 titles, and reached
the Final Four four times, winning the national championship in 2005. 15 of McLaughlin’s
players earned All-American honors, including Olympians Courtney Thompson and
Tama Miyashiro and 2013 National Player of the Year Krista Vansant. More than
two dozen of his former players have gone on to professional indoor volleyball
careers overseas.
McLaughlin was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year four times,
and National Coach of the Year in 2004. He was the first coach to win NCAA
titles coaching both men (USC) and women. He built a 355-90 (.798) record at
Washington as the Huskies consistently led the Pac-12 in attendance.
The Washington Volleyball annual team banquet is tonight.
01.10.15 | 11:40AM CLARIFICATION. In our initial report, we said Debbie Brown "resigned" from Notre Dame last month. A reader pointed us to the wording of the official Notre Dame press release, which seems to indicate otherwise. The relevant excerpt:
01.10.15 | 11:40AM CLARIFICATION. In our initial report, we said Debbie Brown "resigned" from Notre Dame last month. A reader pointed us to the wording of the official Notre Dame press release, which seems to indicate otherwise. The relevant excerpt:
"Debbie has probably understood what Notre Dame and its student-athlete experience is about as well as any coach on our staff. She has represented the University in exceptional fashion in her time here," said Notre Dame vice president and athletics director Jack Swarbrick.
"However, our expectations regarding competitive performance are also high, and we regrettably have not been able to meet those in recent years. I'd like to thank her for all she has done for the program and, in particular, for all she has done for the student-athletes who have played for her. We will immediately begin a national search to identify a new head coach for our volleyball program."
Leslie & Jack - Your thoughts on why he is leaving?
ReplyDeleteAs always, we want to be your source for facts, not speculation. We will continue to report this story as we can communicate with more folks who have first-hand knowledge. Please stay tuned.
DeletePart of its family related.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shock this must be for the wonderful kids on the team. Thank you for keeping us posted.
ReplyDeleteSwarbrick's daughter played for Jim at UW several years ago so probably already head a good relationship.
ReplyDeleteNotre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick is no relation to former Washington volleyball player Jessica Swarbrick.
DeleteI always thought if Jim left, it would be for the Women's National Team, not another college program. Very disappointing, but good luck to him.
ReplyDeleteMy sentiments exactly
DeleteNo doubt... National team or bust, not Notre Dame. He's created something great at the UDub and am really shocked he is moving back there. However, it is likely for the lady in his life.
DeleteNooooooo!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteLosing Krista and Jim at the same time?
That feels like more than my still-sad-from-the-tough-loss volleyball fan heart can bear.
Any word on where Leslie Gabriel and the rest of the coaches will end up?
Honestly, I don't think it would be & I personally wouldn't be overally surprised if Leslie takes over, that is if she wants it.
DeleteWIth three kids under five, I doubt Tui really wants to be head coach at this time. She has had opportunities in the past and declined those. A better option would be to promote Keegan and keep Tui as Associate Head Coach. The team was very good before he came to UW, noticeably better after his arrival. Most importantly, the players really work well him and he won't leave for a very long time.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's something I think that would hold her back.
ReplyDeleteBring KENO and SANJA BACK !!!!
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's that this athletic department, which used to be so pro women's sports, isn't any more.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYeah. 300K + 100K for assistants seems pretty nice!
Delete;-)
With the head coach being paid $300k a year and the assistants both well over $100, plus a full complement of support and promotion personnel, there were no issues with the athletic department. The team even got a new high tech volleyball only floor this year.
DeleteWith Jim being paid $300k and the assistants well over $100k a year, and several athletic department personnel assigned to the program, lack of support wasn't an issue. They even bought a new high tech court for the team this year.
ReplyDeleteTry again, babooze! Keep pushing it.
DeleteLook toward ND soccer. That's all I'm saying.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the coach will have anything to say to the fans who have been so supportive of him all these years.
ReplyDeletethe soccer topic is real. Oldest daughter is a D1 soccer recruit and wife played soccer at ND. Nevada coaching hire is the first domino to fall. more to follow
ReplyDeleteJim built quite a legacy here. He has taught, trained and coached many top flight players and coaches. Hopefully this will bear fruit when it comes time to fill his position.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand the soccer comments. The ND women's head coach, Theresa Romagnolo (U of W grad and 4 year soccer player) has only been there one year. Since she graduated in 2001, I would assume that she knows Jim's and Jim's wife. The fact that the daughter is a division 1 recruit just means she could go anywhere.
ReplyDeleteEverything seems to have gone quiet. Does that mean the possibility exists that Jim might be changing his mind?
I'm da "Anonymous" 2:43 PM
ReplyDeleteJim owes nobody anything. It's all about family with which you'd hope some would also agree.
Maybe an assistant's job at ND needs to be filled.
UW VB will NOT fall off the face of the earth. Some of the kings and queens just get so upset sometimes.
Out
Yes, it absolutely will. What kind of program did we have before McLaughlin? Yup, that's where we'll be. UW is NOT a destination university for elite athletes. We often produce elite athletes, generally from 3 or 4 star players coming out of high school. Occasionally, we have a coach with a high enough profile to attract them, but that only goes so far. Sorry.... look no further than the B-ball program after McGuff left to see what kind of difference these guys make on the recruiting scene. At this point, if I'm a 4-star player on the west coast, UW is off my list and Stanford or UCLA are in my sights.
DeleteVolleyblog Readers - What is your realistic preference for the next coach?
ReplyDeleteA) A head coach who has been successful at a mid major school (ie: BYU);
B) Promote Keegan and keep Tui for the stability of the program and reduce chance of player transfers;
C) Something else?
A
DeleteB!
ReplyDeleteB!
ReplyDeleteB
ReplyDeleteA question to those in the know. Is it possible that the real issue revolves around compensation and a "perceived" lack of appreciation by the AD. If you consider that Jim's last reported salary was $275K and Mike Neighbor's, the women's BB coach, reported initial 2013 salary was $350K with $20K/year raise, you could get a perception of Jim not being appreciated. Maybe the AD adjusted Jim's 2014 salary to equal that of the BB coach. It get's even worst when you consider the salaries the football assistants are getting. If you aware of the Dawgman fall interview with Jim, you can see that one of the reasons he got into women's VB was compensation. Hopefully this is one of the real driving issues and Scott has come up with another $100-150K and $50-$75K for assistants. That cost would be cheap considering the total AD budget and the cost to the program to find and hire another quality coach.
ReplyDeleteAs previously stated, salary and lack of support were not the reasons. Jim loves it here but ND can offer things to him and his family that UW cannot.
ReplyDeleteFeel free, Anonymous, to contact us directly if you can share additional information.
Delete