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Everyone who knows John Cook
understands why he’s consumed with strategic details. He didn’t become
Nebraska’s third head volleyball coach by accident. There’s a profound purpose
that permeates every decision he makes for Nebraska volleyball, and the latest
is no exception. As the Huskers continue their transition to the Devaney Center
after 37 remarkable years in the NU Coliseum, they will bring a huge chunk of
history with them … Terry Pettit’s name on the new volleyball
court that will be surrounded by sold-out suites and nearly 3,000 new
seats.
“As we prepare to move into the Devaney Center for the
2013 season, our theme is to ‘Honor the past and invent the future,’” Cook said
while acknowledging that Nebraska’s program always has embraced its history,
honored its tradition and felt compelled to establish the bar for what college
volleyball could be. “While the Devaney Center represents the future,” Cook
said, “it is only fitting that we celebrate the past by naming the court in
honor of Coach Pettit. His unique vision for what Nebraska volleyball could be,
along with the generous support of the Scott family (Bill and wife Ruth), makes
it possible to celebrate both our storied past and our promising
future.”
Most Nebraska volleyball fans know that Pettit was a
true trailblazer whose era ended after the 1999 season when he decided to open
his book on winning and share it with coaches/leaders across the country – a
decision that came four years after guiding the Huskers to their first national
volleyball championship in 1995. In 23 seasons at the helm of the program he
built, the Huskers won 21 conference titles, earned 18 straight NCAA Tournament
bids and had 649 wins, 44 of which came in the NCAA Tournament.
When Pettit passed the torch to Cook, the winning,
believe it or not, went up a notch. Cook’s 83 winning percentage is fifth best
in NCAA history. Pettit’s 82 winning percentage ranks seventh. The Terry
Pettit/John Cook combination became volleyball’s version of Bob
Devaney/Tom Osborne. Their respective legends are inextricably linked
to each other and equally iconic. They are both the essence of championship
legacies. Pettit and Cook lost a grand total of 38 matches in 37 home seasons in
the NU Coliseum. Just like Osborne elevated Devaney’s two national championships
with three more, Cook’s teams won two national titles to Pettit’s one, so you
could argue that he perfected what his predecessor built. He not only
accelerated the program in terms of winning, but also produced the longest home
sellout streak in college volleyball history. That streak is also the longest
sellout streak in any NCAA women’s sport.
Like Osborne likes to honor Devaney, Cook wants to
honor Pettit, a true icon. “Naming the court in honor of Coach Pettit in the
Devaney is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Cook said. “His legacy deserves a
place inside the Devaney and thanks to the Scott family’s generous
support, we will be able to honor the past in a meaningful and memorable
way.”
Paul Meyers, Nebraska’s associate
athletic director for the Husker Athletic Fund, said Terry Pettit
Court inside the Bob Devaney Sports Center is just the latest example
of Bill and Ruth Scott enabling Nebraska to do the right thing in the right way.
“They’ve always been able to help us whenever there’s been a need, and this was
the perfect opportunity for them because they’re such great volleyball fans.
They absolutely love the sport of volleyball and wanted to do something to help
us honor the past.”
Meyers remembers when his staff wanted to find a way to
honor Nebraska’s commitment to athletic compliance. “Through the generosity of
the Scott family, we were able to name our new Compliance Center after
Al Papik because of the trail he left behind in that area. That
worked out really well. We continue to have one of the best compliance programs
in college athletics and every time someone walks into that area, they know who
started us on that path to excellence.
“The Scotts are doing for volleyball what they helped
us do for compliance,” Meyers added. “They’re making it possible for every fan
that comes to a Nebraska volleyball match to know who started us on our
continuous path to excellence … Terry Pettit. His name should be on that court,
and it will be, thanks to Bill and Ruth. They’re good friends of our family,
good friends of the Nebraska family and good friends of Husker volleyball. We’re
all honored by their generosity.”
Earlier this week, Cook said he has great respect for
moving into a building named after Devaney, the man who put Nebraska football on
the map and created a brand for Nebraska Athletics at the same time. “Just like
Bob Devaney built up Memorial Stadium and more than doubled the capacity, we
feel like Terry Pettit laid the groundwork for us to do something similar with
volleyball,” Cook said. “We’ve been selling out for years, and as great as that
is, it hasn’t helped us attract younger people who want to experience what
everyone who has tickets is already enjoying.”
Cook said Pettit built up Nebraska’s program so well
that the people who came to watch never gave up their seats. “They haven’t left
us,” Cook said. “Playing at the Devaney, we can come close to doubling our
capacity and create new memories for a new base that will include younger fans
that, in turn, will pass that on to the next generation.”
Terry Pettit was a pathfinder that
made volleyball exciting, relevant and popular, and it’s only appropriate that
his name honor the new court in a world-class facility. The goal, as always,
will be to fill the stands to the brim. That is, after all, the ultimate salute
to incredible history.
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