Long Beach State University Athletics
Women’s Volleyball to Dedicate Locker Room to Former Head Coach Brian Gimmillaro
9/20/2022 3:15:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Gimmillaro was the head coach for the Long Beach State Women’s Volleyball program for 32 seasons and is the winningest coach in program history
LONG BEACH, Calif. – On Saturday, Oct. 1, the Long Beach State Women's Volleyball program will dedicate their locker room to former head coach Brian Gimmillaro who coached at the Beach from 1985-2016.
The winningest coach in Long Beach State Women's Volleyball history concluded his Beach career with a total of 835 wins and a .791 winning percentage. During his time at the helm of the women's volleyball program, Gimmillaro led the Beach to three NCAA National Championships (1989, 1993, 1998), eight Final Four appearances, 13 NCAA Regional showings, and 27 NCAA Tournament appearances. He concluded his collegiate coaching career at LBSU with 27 20-win seasons and nine 30-win seasons.
A three-time National Coach of the Year, Gimmillaro was named 1999 U.S. Olympic Committee's Coach of the Year, the only non-Olympic coach to receive such an honor. In 2003, he was given the USA Volleyball All-Time Great Coach Award and was presented the Excellence in Leadership Award by Leadership Long Beach. Additionally, Gimmillaro is a four-time Regional Coach of the Year and a nine-time Big West Coach of the Year.
Throughout his three-decade career, Gimmillaro coached some of the greats in women's volleyball such as Misty May-Treanor, Tara Cross-Battle, and Danielle Scott-Arruda. All three were Olympians in Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004, all three were National Players of the Year, and all three led the Beach to a National Title.
Gimmillaro has coached four AVCA National Players of the Year. Cross-Battle and May-Treanor have each won the award twice, while Scott-Arruda and Antoinette White each earned the honor once. Cross-Battle is a former player and coach for the National team, a four-time Olympian, and a two-time World Player of the Year. Scott-Arruda was named to a record fifth Olympic squad in 2012, the only player to have that honor in USA women's indoor volleyball history, passing Cross-Battle who represented Team USA four times. May-Treanor is regarded as the top beach volleyball player in the world as she capped an unprecedented run in Beach Volleyball with her partner Kerri Walsh, capturing a third-straight Gold Medal after winning in 2008 in Beijing and 2004 in Athens.
Scott-Arruda and Tayyiba Haneef-Park repeated as medalists after winning the Silver in Beijing and another Silver Medal for the USA in London. Those finishes followed the 2004 squad, where the Beach had the most players from any college in Cross-Battle, Scott-Arruda, and Haneef-Park, as Cross-Battle was making her fourth Olympic appearance, setting a mark that was only passed in London by Scott-Arruda. In all, Gimmillaro's players have represented the United States in volleyball in six-consecutive Olympiads.
Gimmillaro's finest season at the helm of Long Beach State came in 1998, when the Beach became the first NCAA Division-I volleyball team ever to finish the season undefeated. The Beach captured their third National title in Madison, Wisc., finishing 36-0.
Prior to Long Beach State, Gimmillaro coached at perennial volleyball powerhouse Gahr High School in Cerritos, Calif. (1978-1985). During his tenure, he led his team to four CIF-Southern Section Championships (1978, 1979, 1983 and 1984) and Division-I State Championships in 1983 and 1984. In 1984 and 1985, Gahr won the CIF Southern Section 5-A Division Championship and was a Division-I state finalist. In eight years, Gimmillaro compiled a stellar 142-15 (.905) record. All told, Gimmillaro sent eight consecutive teams to the CIF Playoffs. A national No. 1 ranking in 1984 was a testament to his success at Gahr.
During the same period, Gimmillaro served as the business manager for the United States Women's Volleyball Olympic Team (1982-84). His duties included organization and development of publicity, budget, fundraising and promotion. He has also been the president and owner of the California Juniors Volleyball Club since 1978.
A 2008 AVCA Hall of Famer, Gimmillaro graduated from Long Beach State in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics.
The winningest coach in Long Beach State Women's Volleyball history concluded his Beach career with a total of 835 wins and a .791 winning percentage. During his time at the helm of the women's volleyball program, Gimmillaro led the Beach to three NCAA National Championships (1989, 1993, 1998), eight Final Four appearances, 13 NCAA Regional showings, and 27 NCAA Tournament appearances. He concluded his collegiate coaching career at LBSU with 27 20-win seasons and nine 30-win seasons.
A three-time National Coach of the Year, Gimmillaro was named 1999 U.S. Olympic Committee's Coach of the Year, the only non-Olympic coach to receive such an honor. In 2003, he was given the USA Volleyball All-Time Great Coach Award and was presented the Excellence in Leadership Award by Leadership Long Beach. Additionally, Gimmillaro is a four-time Regional Coach of the Year and a nine-time Big West Coach of the Year.
Throughout his three-decade career, Gimmillaro coached some of the greats in women's volleyball such as Misty May-Treanor, Tara Cross-Battle, and Danielle Scott-Arruda. All three were Olympians in Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004, all three were National Players of the Year, and all three led the Beach to a National Title.
Gimmillaro has coached four AVCA National Players of the Year. Cross-Battle and May-Treanor have each won the award twice, while Scott-Arruda and Antoinette White each earned the honor once. Cross-Battle is a former player and coach for the National team, a four-time Olympian, and a two-time World Player of the Year. Scott-Arruda was named to a record fifth Olympic squad in 2012, the only player to have that honor in USA women's indoor volleyball history, passing Cross-Battle who represented Team USA four times. May-Treanor is regarded as the top beach volleyball player in the world as she capped an unprecedented run in Beach Volleyball with her partner Kerri Walsh, capturing a third-straight Gold Medal after winning in 2008 in Beijing and 2004 in Athens.
Scott-Arruda and Tayyiba Haneef-Park repeated as medalists after winning the Silver in Beijing and another Silver Medal for the USA in London. Those finishes followed the 2004 squad, where the Beach had the most players from any college in Cross-Battle, Scott-Arruda, and Haneef-Park, as Cross-Battle was making her fourth Olympic appearance, setting a mark that was only passed in London by Scott-Arruda. In all, Gimmillaro's players have represented the United States in volleyball in six-consecutive Olympiads.
Gimmillaro's finest season at the helm of Long Beach State came in 1998, when the Beach became the first NCAA Division-I volleyball team ever to finish the season undefeated. The Beach captured their third National title in Madison, Wisc., finishing 36-0.
Prior to Long Beach State, Gimmillaro coached at perennial volleyball powerhouse Gahr High School in Cerritos, Calif. (1978-1985). During his tenure, he led his team to four CIF-Southern Section Championships (1978, 1979, 1983 and 1984) and Division-I State Championships in 1983 and 1984. In 1984 and 1985, Gahr won the CIF Southern Section 5-A Division Championship and was a Division-I state finalist. In eight years, Gimmillaro compiled a stellar 142-15 (.905) record. All told, Gimmillaro sent eight consecutive teams to the CIF Playoffs. A national No. 1 ranking in 1984 was a testament to his success at Gahr.
During the same period, Gimmillaro served as the business manager for the United States Women's Volleyball Olympic Team (1982-84). His duties included organization and development of publicity, budget, fundraising and promotion. He has also been the president and owner of the California Juniors Volleyball Club since 1978.
A 2008 AVCA Hall of Famer, Gimmillaro graduated from Long Beach State in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics.
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