The United States men’s national volleyball team hired Karch Kiraly as its next head coach, the program announced Thursday afternoon.

Kiraly – who led the Bruins to three national championships as a player from 1979 to 1982 before playing and coaching professionally on the Olympic stage – succeeds John Speraw, former head coach and current president and CEO of USA Volleyball, as the ninth head coach in program history.

“I am thrilled beyond words at the opportunity to coach the U.S. Men’s National Team,” Kiraly said in a statement to USA Volleyball. “I’ve watched with respect and admiration for everyone in the program as they’ve pursued excellence, both in training and in competition. This opportunity shines even brighter as I fondly recall the nine seasons I spent as a player with the program.” 

Touted as the “Best Player in the World” by FIVB in 1986 and 1988, Kiraly represented the U.S. in winning three Olympic gold medals after he graduated from UCLA in 1982. Kiraly was a member of two Olympic gold medal-winning squads in 1984 and 1988, respectively. He made history after winning his third and final Olympic gold in 1996, when Kiraly and partner Kent Steffes won the first beach volleyball tournament in Olympic history.

His designation as one of the greatest volleyball players of all time was recognized after FIVB named Kiraly the greatest volleyball player of the 20th century. Furthermore, he became just one of four people to win a world championship as both a coach and a player in 1986. Kiraly’s excellence is not limited to just the hardcourt, either: He received 148 tournament victories as a player and has been named the Association of Volleyball Professionals’ Most Valuable Player six separate times.

Prior to his promotion, Kiraly served as head coach for the U.S. women’s national volleyball team and led the squad to the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Guiding the U.S. women’s team to its first-ever Olympic gold medal in 2021, Kiraly dominated the volleyball realm, winning three consecutive FIVB Volleyball Nations League titles in 2021 as well as the team’s first-ever world championship title in 2014. Kiraly also won the FIVB World Grand Champions Cup and NORCECA Continental Championship in 2013, the Pan American Games in 2015, and the Pan-American Cup from 2017 to 2019.

“For one-quarter of my life, I’ve poured everything I have into the U.S. Women’s Team; first as an assistant, then as head coach. Now, it’s time for new adventures and new challenges,” Kiraly said in the statement.

As a player in Westwood, Kiraly maintained a 124-5 record during his four-year tenure with UCLA men’s volleyball. His accomplishments extend beyond the scope of the NCAA, however – Kiraly was also inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2001, the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2001 and the UCLA Hall of Fame in 1992.

Now, Kiraly returns to men’s volleyball to helm Team USA.