(Story taken from the Birmingham-Southern College
website)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Birmingham-Southern College has hired
former University of Alabama coach Judy Green to head its
volleyball program, Athletics Director Joe Dean, Jr., announced
today.
“Today is a great day for Birmingham-Southern with the hiring
of Judy Green as our new head volleyball coach,” Dean
said. “I have admired and respected Judy over the years
of her remarkable coaching career at Montevallo and the University
of Alabama. We are very fortunate and extremely excited that
this opportunity presented itself, and look forward to watching
Judy's success with our program for many years to come.”
Green, who will begin her duties at BSC in the summer of 2011,
comes to the Hilltop after 15 years as the head coach at Alabama,
where she amassed a 237-234 record. Prior to the 2010 season, she
announced her retirement from the program.
At Alabama, Green’s first recruiting class posted a 22-8
record as seniors en route to the program's first-ever SEC Western
Division title in 2000. Her team won a second SEC West title in
2004, and saw three consecutive NCAA Championship appearances,
including the program’s first in 2005, followed by berths in
2006 and 2007. In 2008, Green collected her 600th career victory,
ranking her 16th among active coaches for all-time wins.
Green, a native of Lake Junaluska, N.C., is a 1984 Western Carolina
graduate, where she played volleyball, basketball, and softball,
and is the only athlete, male or female, in WCU history to earn 12
letters. She also received numerous honors during her playing
career. For volleyball, she was named First-Team All-Southern
Conference, MVP of the 1983 Southern Conference Tournament, and
Southern Conference Volleyball Player of the Decade for the 1980s.
As a basketball player, she scored more than 1,000 career points,
and is still one of WCU’s top-20 career scorers. She was a
member of the team voted the Southern Conference Basketball Team of
the Decade for the 1980s. In softball, Green was an AIAW
All-American at shortstop and became the first female
student-athlete at WCU to be inducted into the Athletic Hall of
Fame. She was also named Female Athlete of the Decade for the 1980s
by Western Carolina.
After earning her bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in
physical education from Western Carolina, Green started her first
coaching job as an assistant volleyball coach with WCU during the
1984 season. In 1985, she served as assistant coach for the
softball team and was also the women’s cross country head
coach.
In 1986, Green landed her first head coaching position at the
University of Montevallo, where she took the Falcons to 10 straight
NAIA national tournament appearances, including a fourth-place
finish in 1988 and a fifth-place finish in 1994 with a 50-5
record.
While at Montevallo, Green was named 1993 National Coach of the
Year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, and was also
named NAIA South Region Coach of the Year and Southeast Region
Coach of the Year during her tenure. She coached 26 NAIA/AVCA
All-Americans, 38 NAIA All-District players, 11 NAIA All-Southeast
Region players, and eight NAIA District Player of the Year at
Montevallo.
“I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity to lead the
Birmingham-Southern Volleyball program,” Green said. “I
want to thank Director of Athletics Joe Dean and Assistant Director
of Athletics Kyndall Waters for believing in my abilities both as a
person and as a coach to lead this incredible group of young women.
It has been an incredible coaching journey for me throughout my
career, and I am so excited to join the BSC Athletic family.
“Along with Coach Kyndall Waters, our goal for our program
will be to help our student-athletes excel at the highest level in
the classroom, on the volleyball court, and in the Birmingham
community. I have always had great respect for the former coaches
who have led the Panther Volleyball program, and I look forward to
building on the foundation they have built and creating an even
higher level of success. We certainly want to win SCAC
Championships and compete on a national level.
“From a recruiting standpoint, Birmingham-Southern is one of
the most prestigious academic institutions in the country,”
Green continued. “Not to mention that it boasts an incredibly
beautiful campus and outstanding state-of-the-art athletic
facilities for DIII athletics. I believe BSC will be an easy sell
to gifted student-athletes from all across the country. BSC is the
complete package.”
Green is known as one of the best technical coaches in the nation,
and she is well-respected by her colleagues around the country at
every level, who had these things to say about her:
“Judy has tremendous love for coaching. Her energy,
knowledge, and desire to help the student-athletes succeed at their
highest level will be evident every day. The student-athletes,
other athletic department personnel, and entire BSC community will
be enriched with Judy in their midst!”
-Sharon Dingman, Head Volleyball Coach, University of Iowa
“Judy Green is one of the finest coaches in the country.
She is a winner in every respect. She has led the University of
Alabama and University of Montevallo to unparalleled
success on the court and in the classroom. Judy is a proven
recruiter with the ability to take her athletes to the next
level. She is a leader, mentor and coach who will lead the
Birmingham-Southern volleyball program to national
prominence. We are extremely fortunate to have Judy join
Division III women's volleyball.”
-Jenny McDowell, Head Volleyball Coach, Emory University
“Judy is an outstanding coach and person. She is a great
competitor. Coaching against her has always been a great challenge
and has made for some outstanding matches. Judy seems to
balance it all: she is a devoted professional, a fiery competitor,
and a caring individual. She cares deeply about the
student-athletes she coaches. Not only does she mold them into
great volleyball players, but she also helps them become better
people. Judy will be a great addition to the Birmingham-Southern
staff.”
-Fran Flory, Head Volleyball Coach, Louisiana State
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