Terry Pettit

Last updated
Terry Pettit
Biographical details
Born1946 (age 7778)
Alma mater Manchester University
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1977–1999 Nebraska
Head coaching record
Overall694–148–12 (.820)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1 National (1995)
18 Big Eight (1977–92, 1994, 1995)
3 Big 12 (1996, 1998, 1999)
Awards
2x National Coach of the Year
9x Conference Coach of the Year
6x Regional Coach of the Year
University of Nebraska Hall of Fame (2020)

Terry Pettit is a retired American volleyball coach. He was the head women's volleyball coach at Nebraska from 1977 to 1999, where he led the Cornhuskers to the school's first NCAA national championship in 1995 by defeating Texas in the final. He led the team to 21 Big Eight and Big 12 conference championships in his 23 seasons as head coach and established Nebraska as one of the most decorated programs in the sport of volleyball.

Contents

Early life

Terry Pettit is a published poet who earned an MFA in creative writing from the University of Arkansas, after earning a B.S. in English from Manchester University in Indiana. He attended graduate school in theology and worked as a reporter for the Church of the Brethren before teaching English and coaching volleyball and tennis at Louisburg College, in Louisburg, North Carolina.

At Nebraska

Terry Pettit was Nebraska's second head coach, and from 1977 to 1999 he built the Cornhuskers into a national power. He led the program to its first national championship (1995), two national runner-up finishes (1986, 1989), and three other national semifinal appearances (1990, 1996, 1998). Pettit earned 19 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 1982 through 1999, and won the Big 8/Big 12 every year except 1993, and 1997, guiding the Huskers to a 694–148 record in his 23 years. He was named the Big 8/Big 12 Coach of the Year in 1985 – 1987, 1989, 1990, 1994 – 1996, and 1998, and the AVCA National Coach of the Year in 1986 and 1994. Pettit was the recipient of the USA Volleyball All-Time Great Coach Award in 2004. Under his tutelage, Karen Dahlgren was named National Player of the Year in 1986 and Allison Weston was named National Player of the Year in 1995. Nebraska led the nation in both All-American and Academic All-American selections during his tenure. [1]

Legacy

Pettit built one of the most tradition-rich and powerful volleyball programs in NCAA history. To this day, Nebraska has sold out over 300 consecutive games between the Nebraska Coliseum and Bob Devaney Sports Center, and participated in the nine highest-attended volleyball games in NCAA history. At the top of this list is Nebraska's victory over the University of Nebraska at Omaha on August 30, 2023 when 92,003 fans watched the Cornhuskers defeat the Omaha Mavericks 3–0 for the World Record for a women’s sporting event at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.

In December 2008 Pettit authored "Talent and the Secret Life of Teams," a collection of essays, columns, and creative writing on leadership and team-building based on his career as a coach and director of leadership academies at Creighton University, the University of Denver, and Colorado State University. In December 2013 Pettit authored a second book, "A Fresh Season – Insights Into Coaching, Leadership and Volleyball."

On September 6, 2013, [2] [3] Nebraska played their inaugural match in the newly renovated Bob Devaney Sports Center which became their new home after playing its first 37 seasons in the historic Nebraska Coliseum from 1975 to 2012. To mark the occasion of the team's move to the newly renovated facility, Terry Pettit was honored with a court-naming ceremony during the match against Villanova University. Terry Pettit Court is etched along the sideline on the southwest side of the court.

In 2020, Pettit was inducted into Nebraska's athletic hall of fame. [4]

Head coaching record

National championConference championConference and tournament champion
SeasonTeamOverallConferenceStandingNCAA tournamentFinal
rank
Nebraska Cornhuskers (Big Eight Conference)(1977–1995)
1977Nebraska42–12–71stRegional semifinalist
1978Nebraska35–25–21stRegional champion
1979Nebraska41–8–31stRegional runner-up
1980Nebraska35–151stRegional runner-up
1981Nebraska29–101st
1982 Nebraska27–61stRegional semifinalist15
1983 Nebraska29–410–01stFirst round16
1984 Nebraska29–410–01stRegional runner-up7
1985 Nebraska28–310–01stRegional runner-up6
1986 Nebraska29–610–01stNational runner-up6
1987 Nebraska30–510–01stRegional runner-up10
1988 Nebraska28–511–11stRegional semifinalist5
1989 Nebraska29–412–01stNational runner-up5
1990 Nebraska32–312–01stNational semifinalist2
1991 Nebraska27–512–01stRegional runner-up7
1992 Nebraska22–612–01stRegional semifinalist7
1993 Nebraska25–610–22ndSecond round8
1994 Nebraska31–112–01stRegional runner-up1
1995 Nebraska32–112–01stNCAA champion1
Nebraska Cornhuskers (Big 12 Conference)(1996–1999)
1996 Nebraska30–419–11stNational semifinalist3
1997 Nebraska27–716–42ndRegional runner-up8
1998 Nebraska32–219–11stNational semifinalist3
1999 Nebraska27–617–31stRegional semifinalist11
Nebraska:694–148–12214–12

The Big 12 does not play conference tournaments.

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References

  1. "terrypettit.com".
  2. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : Nebraska Volleyball - Terry Pettit Court Dedication - NSide Nebraska Show. YouTube .
  3. "Steven M. Sipple: Easy to grasp meaning of 'Terry Pettit Court' | Sipple | journalstar.com".
  4. "Terry Pettit (2020) - University of Nebraska Athletic Hall of Fame".