John Speraw Receives Contract Extension

Speraw will guide the Anteaters through 2013


Irvine, Calif. - UC Irvine head men’s volleyball coach John Speraw has received a five-year contract extension through the 2012-2013 season, Athletic Director Mike Izzi announced Monday.



“John’s vision has put the UC Irvine program in the national spotlight and we look forward to building on the foundation that has been laid,” Izzi said.



Along with the contract extension, Speraw has also been named the Director of Volleyball at UC Irvine.



Speraw is currently in his sixth year at UCI with an overall record of 108-68 (.614). The Anteaters are currently ranked sixth in the nation.



In just his fifth year at UC Irvine, Speraw guided the Anteaters to a national championship in 2007. Along with the NCAA title, Speraw’s team also won the university’s first Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title, ended the year with the No. 1 ranking and had a school-record 29 victories, a win total that led all NCAA Division I-II schools last year.



Over the last two seasons, UC Irvine has won more matches than any other school (56-10, .848), made back-to-back NCAA appearances and had players earn All-American honors eight times. Speraw, who has had a team ranked No. 1 in three different years, has had UCI sitting in the Top 10 final rankings all but one year.



With UCI’s national championship, Speraw joins Rod Wilde as the only individuals to have won a title as a head coach, assistant coach and player. Speraw, Wilde and Bob Yoder are the only three to have accomplished the feat as a player and head coach.



Speraw was named American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Coach of the Year in 2006 as well as Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year. He has been a finalist for National Coach of the Year three of the last four years.



He was named to OC METRO Business Magazine’s 18th annual list of the Hottest 25 People of Orange County and was tabbed No. 16 in the Daily Pilot’s 2007 Top 103 Most Influential People in the Newport/Costa Mesa Area.



Speraw was named an assistant coach with the U.S. National team in January 2007 and helped Team USA to a berth in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. He also serves as the men’s representative on the AVCA Board of Directors.



UCI Associate Athletic Director Paula Smith is thrilled to have Coach Speraw continue at the helm of the Anteaters. “He is a great ambassador for volleyball and the University of California, Irvine and he will continue to bring national recognition to our programs.”