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VOLLEYBALL HISTORY


Where are they now?


Aldis Berzins, Olympic gold medalist, coach, director at Special Olympics


Swing hitters are what Berzins and Kiraly were called back then, and together they revo- lutionized a two-player passing system that kicked off nearly a decade of domination for the U.S. Men. Yes, Karch gets most of the headlines, and based on his many accomplishments in indoor and on the beach, that is as it should be. But Berzins was no slouch. He got most of the serves in those days, and time after time, he handled them. It takes a great pass to run a great offense, and Berzins provided just that, and he also provided plenty of digs and some timely blocks, too. How does he feel about his place in history next to the guy who many consider to be the greatest player ever? “It’s a great honor,” says Berzins, now 57, living with his wife, Mara, in Maryland and working as the director of sport de- velopment and coaching education for Special Olympics. “People still talk about that – the two-person serve receive, the Berzins- Kiraly thing. It’s great. I love it.” Doug Beal, head coach of Team USA’s 1984 gold-medal team and now the chief executive offi cer of USA Volleyball, recalls the exact moment at the 1982 FIVB World Championship when Berzins made his case on the court for becoming a starter. “We were playing the Russians, and in a single rally, I think he dug three or four untouched balls, and every one of them was settable on our side. It was one of the most remarkable displays of individual defensive ability that I had ever seen from an American player. And I remember talking to (assistant coach) Bill (Neville) after the match and saying, ‘We have to fi gure out a way to get this guy on the court.’”


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And so they did. Before long, he was a starter, and Beal says Berzins “was a critical player on one of the best teams we’ve ever had. His ability to be a great passer, a great defender and a


great team player, and a much better hitter-blocker than people gave him credit for – was very signifi cant. He really allowed some of the other offensive stars of that team – (Steve) Tim- mons, (Craig) Buck and (Pat) Powers, in particular – to be effective because he was so good at receiving and creating scoring opportunities digging.” Every once in a while, he even got the best of Kiraly. He admits now that he would some- times sandbag sprints in practice so he could save enough energy to beat Karch in the fi nal sprint of the day. “I feel bad about that,” he says with a laugh. “It was just so I could pop off a little bit.”


Make no mistake – Berzins is the furthest thing from a cocky, trash-talker. He’s one of the most good-natured guys you’ll ever meet. But the inner fi re is there, and his list of career accomplishments didn’t end with his gold medal. Since then, he has been an assistant coach for the U.S. Women’s National Team (1996 Olympics), created a statistical analysis company and, in 2001, started working for Special Olympics, where today he focuses on sports devel- opment and coach education. Included in his duties is creating guides and apps for coaches across the globe in a wide variety of sports.


GOOD CATCH: The U.S. Men’s Volleyball Olympic Team caught the big one in 1984 with the help of Aldis Berzins as a primary passer and outside hitter. Berzins enjoys fi shing these days on Lake Michigan. (Photos: Courtesy of Berzins Family)


Berzins and Mara have three sons: Kris, Mik and Dainis. Aldis coached them all at one point or another in either high school or club at the Maryland Volleyball Program. All three went on to play college ball. Kris went to Loyola University-Chicago, Mik went to Ohio State University and won the NCAA championship in 2011 – Aldis was an All American for the Buckeyes in the ’70s – and Dainis is currently a senior at Loyola – being coached by Kris, who is an assistant.


The volleyball gene has obviously been passed to the next generation. The tradition of excellence continues.


— Don Patterson 26 | VOLLEYBALLUSA • Digital Issue at usavolleyball.org/mag


ldis Berzins is often mentioned as the outside hitter who started opposite Karch Kiraly on the 1984 U.S. Men’s Olympic gold medal team. But let’s make one thing clear: He was more than just the “other guy.”


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