(Taken from the Colorado College website)
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Colorado College
volleyball program and athletics department, as well as the entire
Colorado Springs volleyball community, suffered a tragic loss on
April 11 with the passing of Steve Durand.
"It's a devastating loss to our program," head coach Rick Swan said. "Steve loved volleyball, loved coaching and loved being around the players. He was a great friend, a great coach and just an all around awesome person who would do anything you asked him to do. He cared so much for our players and our program."
Durand joined the Tigers prior to the 2003 season. While he worked primarily with setters and servers, he also helped implement the team's offensive system.
Durand helped Colorado College retain its stature as one of the nation's top NCAA Division III programs the last six seasons. Under his guidance, CC posted a 141-64 record (.688), recorded six consecutive campaigns with 20 or more victories and made six straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
"Steve was so much more than a coach," said senior co-captain Anna Clithero. "That's why this is so hard. Steve was a wonderful person who cared about all of us as individuals, as a family and as a team. He was a friend and mentor beyond volleyball. He will be irreplaceable."
Durand also was instrumental in making Colorado College tournaments a great experience for not only the Tigers, but for all of the players and coaches from visiting teams.
"He cared so much about the players," Swan said. "I've had other coaches talk to me about what a great guy he was. There are a lot of people who are going to miss him."
Durand also coached club volleyball in Colorado Springs for the last 15 years with Match Point Volleyball and Colorado Springs Altitude.
After spending 24 years in the U.S. Air Force as a firefighter, Durand retired as the Deputy Fire Chief at Peterson Air Force Base in 1997. He later worked as a quality services contract inspector for the Air Force Civil Engineer Squadron at Peterson.
A memorial service celebrating Steve's life will be held at Shove Chapel on Friday, April 17th at 10 a.m. Following the service, a reception and afternoon volleyball will take place in the El Pomar Sports Center.
Durand is survived by his wife, Barbara, and sons, Brian and Kevin.
.gif?max_width=280&max_height=139&crop=true)
.gif?max_width=280&max_height=139&crop=true)
