Exclusive John Cook Interview Moments After Statue Revealed! скачать в хорошем качестве

Exclusive John Cook Interview Moments After Statue Revealed!

Former Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook said it felt “a little bit eerie” to see his newly unveiled bronze statue outside the Devaney Sports Center, but he credited the moment more to the program’s legacy than to himself. “It’s so well done. I really admire the artists that do this,” Cook said, referencing world-renowned sculptor George Lundeen. “It really doesn’t mean all that much for me. It’s more about Nebraska volleyball and all that we’ve done here. Nebraska’s the epicenter of volleyball in this country, and I think this is just a symbol of that.” Cook announced his retirement on Jan. 29, 2025, after 25 seasons as Nebraska's head coach. Overall, Cook spent 32 years as a college head coach - seven at Wisconsin and 25 at Nebraska. He won four NCAA championships leading the Huskers. Cook is the first non-football coach to receive a statue. He joins legendary football coaches Tom Osborne and Bob Devaney as the third Nebraska coach immortalized with a statue. Cook said Osborne called him the day before the unveiling. “He always downplays it so much, that’s the way he is,” Cook said. “But for me personally, he was one of my role models here. He was also the athletic director for four or five years and really helped me with the move to Devaney. To be recognized along with him means a lot.” Cook also praised his successor, Dani Busboom Kelly, who took over the program this season. “To me, it’s the greatest achievement of my coaching career — to be able to hire a coach from Nebraska who played here, coached here, and won national championships, and then to come back as the head coach,” Cook said. “To me, it’s my greatest accomplishment.” Now living full-time in Wyoming, Cook said he enjoys life away from coaching but still feels a strong connection to the sport. “I love it. I can’t tell you how much I love it,” Cook said. “I’ve been back and forth because of things like this and doing some TV matches, which I really enjoy. It helps keep me a part of it.” Cook recently sat on the other side of the camera, interviewing Busboom Kelly for a broadcast. He said the role came naturally. “I’m not going to be your typical color analyst or interviewer because I know Dani,” Cook said. “I feel comfortable in asking her almost anything I wanted to try to get some more out of her for the fans to understand what it’s like to coach and how she feels. It was awesome.” Speakers at the event included University of Nebraska President Jeffrey Gold, Nebraska Director of Athletics Troy Dannen, Nebraska Volleyball Head Coach Dani Busboom Kelly, and Cook himself. After taking over the program in 2000, Cook guided the Huskers to four national championships, 12 NCAA Semifinal appearances, nine Big 12 titles, and five Big Ten titles. He achieved a career record of 883-176 (.834), the fifth-best winning percentage all-time for a Division I volleyball coach. Cook's record of 722-103 at Nebraska was the best winning percentage (.875) for any DI program from 2000-24. With Cook at the helm, Nebraska produced numerous individual honors, including five Olympians, a Honda-Broderick Cup winner, three AVCA Division I National Players of the Year, 72 AVCA All-Americans, three Academic All-Americans of the Year, 25 Academic All-Americans, and 10 conference players of the year. Nebraska volleyball student-athletes combined for 88 all-conference awards and 155 academic all-conference honors in Cook's program.