IN MEMORIAM “Gio” 1957-2012
Greg Giovanazzi, past U.S.Women’s National Volleyball Team assistant coach, was also considered the oral historian of the UCLA men’s volleyball program
G
reg Giovanazzi, who impacted the lives of countless teammates and players he coached, passed away in March at age 54. “Greg was one of the most positive per- sonalities in our sport,” USA Volleyball Chief Executive Offi cer Doug Beal said. “He made everyone around him feel and perform better in every situation he was involved. This is just a sad and shocking loss. All our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Deb and daugh- ter, Casey.”
Giovanazzi was the fi rst assistant coach for the U.S. Women’s National Vol- leyball Team from 1990 to 1994. He helped the U.S. Olympic Women’s Vol- leyball Team to the bronze medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. Giovanazzi was a member of the 1994 Goodwill Games coaching staff in which the U.S. fi n- ished with the silver medal. He later served as an advisor at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
“Gio was an outstanding coach who helped catapult our U.S. Women’s Team to
be one of the elite teams in the world in the early 1990s,” said Terry Liskevych, the U.S. Women’s National Team head coach from 1985 to 1996 and current head women’s volleyball coach at Oregon State University. “He had an extraordinary gift of connecting with every player and always positively lifted the energy levels of everyone he touched. We established a wonderful bond in our years together at USA Volleyball and shared a great friendship since. He will be sorely missed, but never forgotten.”
Giovanazzi took a position as an assistant coach at his alma mater, UCLA, upon his graduation in 1981. He assisted with both the men’s and women’s volleyball programs
BRUIN GREAT: Greg Giovanazzi starred at UCLA in the 1970s.
“Greg Giovanazzi was the chronicler of all things Bruin men’s volleyball,” UCLA Men’s Head Volleyball Coach Al Scates said in a UCLA press release. “He was the offi cial storyteller — the oral historian — of UCLA men’s volleyball. He was also a close friend and I will miss him deeply.”
Giovanazzi spent two seasons at Santa Monica College in 1982 and 1983 where he won the 1983 Southern California Coach of the Year honors and led his team to the state fi nals. He was an assistant coach at the Uni- versity of Hawaii for one season in 1980 and won the WCAC Championship. Giovanazzi served as head coach at the University of Michigan from 1992 to 1998,
62 | VOLLEYBALLUSA • Digital Issue at
usavolleyball.org/mag
from 1981-1990. Throughout his time with the Bruins, he played a role in three NCAA Championships and six appearances in the NCAA semifi nals.
recording 104 victories and an NCAA Tour- nament berth in 1997 and competed in the 1995 NIVC Tournament. During his seven years with the Wolverines, he coached eight All-Big Ten players. Severe migraines forced Giovan- zazzi to resign from his Michigan post. Giovanazzi suffered from chronic migraines for most of his life, and stepped down from several coaching posi- tions because of his medical condition.
After a brief spell away from the collegiate game, Giovanazzi coached at Loyola University (Md.) in 2001 before being the interim coach at the Univer- sity of Maryland-Baltimore County from 2003 to 2004. He moved on to serve as the head volleyball coach at Johns Hopkins University in 2008 and 2009, compiling a 36-17 record. He served as a volunteer coach for the Columbia Comets of the Chesapeake Volleyball Region through 2011 when he decided to retire from coaching.
As an athlete, Giovanazzi
was a three-time USA Volleyball All-Ameri- can. He played for UCLA from 1975 to 1979 and was a member of the 1976 national championship team. In 1978, Giovanazzi competed on a squad that reached the NCAA fi nals. He earned a spot on the 1977 U.S. Men’s Junior National Team which reached the FIVB Men’s Junior World Championship and earned a bronze medal at the Pac Rim Championships.
Giovanazzi earned a spot on the U.S.
Men’s National Team and competed in the Pan American and World University Games, where he was team captain. He also played in the Italian Professional League in 1979 and 1986.
PHOTO: UCLA
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76