Long Beach State University Athletics
Brian Gimmillaro Receives CSULB Distinguished Alumni Award
4/5/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Long Beach, Calif. - The CSULB Alumni Association has honored one of Long Beach State's iconic coaches, naming Brian Gimmillaro one of this year's recipients of the CSULB Distinguished Alumni Award. Gimmillaro graduated from CSULB in 1970 with a degree in Economics, and has maintained a close involvement with the university ever since. For the last 31 years, he has been the head coach of the Long Beach State women's volleyball program, winning 814 games and bringing three national championships to Long Beach.
"It's obviously a huge honor," said Gimmillaro of the award. "It's unique for me because not only did I graduate from here, but I've been here the last 31 years. It's an even bigger distinction in my mind. I've always been proud of going to school here and working at my own university. My family grew up around this university and this community, so I couldn't be more grateful to be chosen."
Gimmillaro got his coaching start at nearby Gahr High School in Cerritos, spending eight years as the highly successful coach of the Gladiators. He took over the volleyball program at Long Beach State in 1985, leading the Beach to 27 NCAA Tournaments in 31 years, reaching eight final fours and winning the school's first NCAA Division I national championship in any sport in 1989.
He is a nine-time Big West Coach of the Year, a four-time Long Beach Century Club Coach of the Year, a three-time National Coach of the Year, and in 2008 Gimmillaro was inducted into the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Hall of Fame. Over his 31 seasons at Long Beach State, his teams have gone 814-211 (.794) making Gimmillaro one of just four coaches in the nation to win over 800 games at one institution.
"This community is special. It's one of the great communities in this country," stated Gimmillaro on his desire to stay in Long Beach and at his alma mater. "There's a certain humility that's consistent with most of our students and our alums … The qualities of the people who have gone through here—the humility, the graciousness, the professional courtesies—are really what the future of the country is going to be … I think it's an incredible place to work, it's a place that gave me an opportunity to be successful, and it's a great place to have your family grow."
Gimmillaro and the other eight winners of the Distinguished Alumni Award will be honored at the 2016 Alumni Awards Banquet on Wednesday, May 4, at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach.
To learn more about the award, see the rest of this year's recipients, and to get more information about the upcoming banquet, visit the CSULB Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni page.
