Carl McGown

2011 Hall of Fame Inductee

Success has been a constant throughout the college and professional career of Carl McGown. McGown has left his mark on schools and programs everywhere, from the Church College of Hawaii to the USA National Team.

Over the last 40 years, Carl has been a part of 11 National Championship teams and has been named an All-American seven times. In his senior year at BYU, McGown led the Cougars to a fifth-place finish at the Collegiate National Championships while garnering All-America honors. That year became a springboard into a historic coaching career.

For the last 47 years, McGown has coached a number of storied programs. He started at the Church College of Hawaii, guiding them to a second-place finish in the USVBA Collegiate Championships in his last year. Shortly after finishing his coaching experience in Hawaii, McGown was named the assistant coach of the USA National Team. His first international experience came during the 1970 World Games in Bulgaria. Following the World Games, McGown was named the head coach of the national team and led them from 1973-76.

The next 20 years of his life, McGown was in and out of the coaching ranks of the USA National Team. From 1982 to 2008 he would be a part of four gold medal teams, three of which were during the Olympics. During that time, he returned to BYU and lead the team for 13 years. He won several awards including the MPSF Coach of the Year twice, AVCA National Coach of the Year twice, and the 1999 and 2001 NCAA Championships.

Coaching never seemed to leave his side, as he came back to the USA National Team again in 2004 and 2008, helping them to a gold medal in the Beijing Olympics. Due to the great experience and success he had as a coach, McGown was inducted into the American Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2010. 

McGown graduated from BYU in 1963 with a degree in physical education. Following a master’s degree, he went to the University of Oregon where he earned his PhD in 1971. Because of his extensive knowledge and experience, McGown has been published in a number of journals such as the Journal of Motor Behavior, the National Strength and Conditioning Journal and The Physician and Sportsmedicine. He has also published several books. He is married to Susan Hammond McGown and has two sons, Christopher, who also coached the BYU men’s volleyball team, and Paul. He also has three granddaughters.

Personal

• B.S. in physical education from BYU, 1963
• Master’s from BYU, 1964
• PhD from the University of Oregon, 1971
• Married to Susan with two sons, Christopher and Paul
• Son, Christopher, was the BYU men’s volleyball coach

Career Highlights

Player

• Collegiate All-American in 1964
• Played on 11 national championship teams in four different decades
• Was a USAVB All-American seven different times

Coach

• Led the team to two national championships (1999, 2001)
• Earned two National Coach of the Year honors
• Compiled a 225-137 record
• Placed the Cougars in nine top-10 finishes
• Coached 18 different All-Americans
• Won the Cougar Club Dale Rex Memorial Award in 2000
• Served as the head coach of the USA men’s team from 1973-76
• Became a technical advisor to the National Team in 1980
• Has coached seven different Olympic games
• Coached the National Team in seven different World Championships
• Also coached in the World University Games and the Pan American Games

Before BYU

• Served as the athletic director at BYU-Hawaii, 1964-68
• Taught three years at Oregon 1968-71
• Taught one year at the University of California-Berkeley 1971-72
• Joined the BYU faculty in 1972

After BYU

• Coached the National Team in the 2004 Olympic games in Athens and the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing
• Served as the temporary coach of the Swiss men's National Volleyball team
• Currently serving as a volunteer assistant coach for the BYU men's volleyball team

Post BYU Honors and Societies

• Earned four gold medals as a coach, three of the four were in the Olympics
• Has been published in a number of journals such as the Journal of Motor Behavior, the National Strength and Conditioning Journal and The Physician and Sportsmedicine
• Inducted into the American Volleyball Coaches Association hall of fame in 2010
• Inducted into the BYU Hall of Fame in 2011

STATS

Career Coaching Record: 225-137