By Noah Douglas
UNLimited Sports
In what came as a surprise to many, Nebraska’s head volleyball coach, John Cook, announced his retirement after 25 seasons at the helm of the program on Wednesday. Cook announced his retirement through a Nebraska Athletics press release.
On Thursday, Cook was a bit emotional. But he said he was at peace with who will succeed him.
Dani Busboom-Kelly grew up not far from Lincoln, in Cortland, Neb and starred first at setter, then libero for the Huskers from 2003-06 and was part of the 2006 national championship team. After assistant coaching stints at Tennessee and Louisville, Busboom-Kelly returned to Nebraska as an assistant from 2012-16, then spent the last eight seasons as Louisville’s coach.
“I’ve thought a lot about it, it always comes back to this,” Cook said Thursday. “I get to hand off this program to a former player, someone from Nebraska, this is the greatest accomplishment, someone who’s played here gets to be the head coach here.”
The four-time national champion has won more matches than any Division I volleyball coach this century. Cook released his statement in that same press release.
“I’ve been here for 25 years. That’s a long time to do something. It’s been a great run,” Cook said. “I want to thank my family for their support, and I want to thank Bill Byrne and Terry Pettit for giving me the opportunity to be the Nebraska volleyball coach. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some great coaches and staff over the years, and I’m forever grateful for how hard they worked and for how much they gave to Nebraska volleyball.
“For me personally, the greatest accomplishment in coaching is seeing former players go into coaching or other careers and taking the lessons they’ve learned from being a Nebraska volleyball player and applying it to their everyday lives. There is no greater reward in coaching than that. Lastly and most importantly, I want to thank the fans for always supporting Nebraska volleyball. I’ve always said to ‘Dream Big’, and we’ve dreamed bigger than any volleyball program in the history of the world.”
Cook spent 32 years as a head volleyball coach in Division I. Before Nebraska, he spent seven seasons with the Wisconsin Badgers.
Cook leaves behind an impeccable resume at Nebraska, including four national championships, 12 NCAA Semifinals appearances, nine Big 12 titles and five Big Ten Titles. He boasted a career record of 883-176 (.834), the fifth-best all-time winning percentage for a Division I volleyball coach.
“John Cook leaves a legacy of excellence that places him alongside a very small group of coaches who can be considered the greatest in college athletics history, regardless of sport,” Nebraska Director of Athletics Troy Dannen said.
Cook was an innovative mind that pushed the barriers of what college volleyball could be. In 2013, Cook and the Huskers transitioned into a new home court. After transferring from the NU Coliseum to the Bob Devaney Sports Center, he was met with scrutiny. With concern of losing the long standing sellout streak, increasing the capacity from 4,125 at the Coliseum to more than 8,300 at the Devaney Center didn’t have an effect. The sellout streak stands at 331 matches, another Division I volleyball record.
Cook also pioneered the Huskers into an ambitious Nebraska Volleyball Day, an outdoor volleyball event played inside of Memorial Stadium. The event had overwhelming success as 92,003 people packed into the stadium on Aug. 30, 2023.
“John took over one of the nation’s best programs a quarter century ago and elevated it to another level,” Dannen said. “The national championships, Final Four appearances, conference championships, All-Americans and Olympians speak for themselves, but John’s impact goes beyond the on-court accolades. Behind his vision, Nebraska volleyball has become arguably the most successful women’s program in the country which has helped the sport of volleyball reach a popularity level it has never seen before.”
Nebraska names Dani Busboom Kelly as program’s next coach
Former Nebraska volleyball national champion and assistant coach Dani Busboom Kelly was named the fourth head coach in program history on Wednesday by Dannen.
Busboom Kelly had a 203-44 (.822) record in her eight seasons at Lousiville. This past season, the Cardinals reached the NCAA Championship match for the second time in the last three seasons.
“We are excited to welcome Dani and her family back to Lincoln to continue our tradition of excellence in our volleyball program,” Dannen said. “She has demonstrated outstanding leadership at the highest levels of the sport and I am confident that our program will remain among the nation’s elite for years to come. This is a special place that needs an exceptional coach, and we have her. Welcome to Dani and her family!”
Busboom Kelly was the starting libero on Nebraska’s 2006 national championship team, and she was an assistant coach when the Huskers won the 2015 national championship. She said she’s eager to be back in Lincoln.
According the the Lincoln Journal Star’s Amie Just, Busboom Kelly had a clause in her contract at Lousiville where she could not be penalized for leaving to coach for her “undergraduate alma matter.”
“The opportunity to come home to Nebraska is more than a dream come true,” Busboom Kelly said. “I want to thank Troy Dannen, Dr. Jeffrey Gold, and Kristen Brown for their trust in me to continue the legacy of Nebraska volleyball. A huge thank you to John Cook. I would not be here without his mentorship and support. I’ve gotten chills listening to the roars in the Coliseum and now Devaney since I was nine years old. Nebraska is the greatest place in the world to play volleyball and I am honored to be a part of it once again! My family and I can’t wait to get to work and bring more championships home. Go Big Red!”
This story was updated by Jason Stamm