Russ Carney Announces Retirement
11/21/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
East Lansing, Michigan - Michigan State Associate Head Volleyball Coach Russ Carney has announced his retirement, effective the end of the 2014 calendar year.
"Michigan State is such a huge part of my family," said Carney. "Both of my children, Jessica and Branden, attended MSU, and we've spent 10 years here together. It's a part of so many special things that have been in our lives. I want to thank Mark Hollis, Shelley Appelbaum, and the entire athletic department for bringing us into the Spartan family a decade ago and helping us make so many memories along the way.
"Most importantly, I have to thank everyone who has been involved in the volleyball program," continued Carney. ""Cathy and I have been together for more than 20 years, and Mike came aboard when we first got to Michigan State. All of the other staff and student-athletes who have come through the program have helped us achieve many goals and celebrate many program milestones - and each and every one of them have been an important part of that process. The term "'Forever a Spartan' does not begin to explain how I feel about MSU, or what I hope my continuing relationships with the people and the programs will be in the years to come. Sherry and I will be cheering you on.""
"Russ and I have been together for 21 seasons. He's been a vital part of our successes both at Western Michigan and here at MSU. Russ is a terrific person; his integrity and genuine care for the people in his life makes him very special. " said head coach Cathy George. "Russ has an impressive list of professional accomplishments and is highly respected in the volleyball community, but perhaps most important to me, he's been loyal and trusted friend in addition to all of the attributes that make him a great coach. I know that he has built wonderful relationships with people throughout his career. It's really difficult to imagine what going into another season without him will look like - but I know that spending more time with his family will be something that Russ will look forward to, and that will be well-deserved. He will be truly missed by all of us."
"Russ Carney has been an incredibly valuable staff member to our volleyball program and to MSU athletics for the last decade," said senior associate athletic director Shelley Appelbaum. "He is an amazing person first and foremost and a talented coach. His loyalty and service to Coach George at WMU and MSU has been simply impressive; he is highly regarded and will be missed tremendously. Athletic Director Mark Hollis and our entire staff are grateful for his numerous contributions to our program and we wish he, Sherry and his family the very best in the years to come."
Currently in his 10th season at Michigan State, Carney has shared a sideline with Cathy George for 21 seasons. Carney came to MSU with George after the pair spent 11 years guiding the Western Michigan program, and was promoted to Associate Head Coach on June 19, 2008. His relationship with George, along with assistant coach Mike Gawlik, has given MSU nearly unprecedented continuity on its sideline, as the trio has worked together for all ten years of George's tenure.
Over the last several seasons, Carney has played an instrumental role in assembling some of the top recruiting classes in Michigan State history. Most recently, the Spartans posted back-to-back Top-10 classes, ranked No. 7 in 2013 and for 2014 achieving a program-high rank of No. 6 by PrepVolleyball.com; MSU's 2007 class was also the No. 7 class in the country and the top-rated class in the Big Ten that season.
Another of Carney's roles at MSU has been that of the academic coordinator on the coaching staff. The team boasts an overall grade-point average of 3.3, and over the last nine seasons, the Spartan volleyball program has produced 46 Academic All-Big Ten citations and 10 Big Ten Distinguished Scholars, along with two Academic All-America and five Academic All-District selections.
On the court, Carney has helped MSU earn six NCAA Tournament bids and tutored eight All-America selections in nine seasons, a period which also produced 14 All-Big Ten selections and four Big Ten All-Freshman Team picks.
A Tunkhannock, Pa., native, Carney started his collegiate coaching career as an assistant coach at Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, Mich., in 1978. He assumed the head coaching duties at KCC in 1980 and promptly guided the Bruins to the National Junior College Athletic Association National Championship that year.
Carney went on to serve as an assistant coach at Wisconsin in 1981 before he was named head coach of the Badgers in 1982, where he remained until 1984. During his stint at Wisconsin, Carney served as head coach of the 1981 U.S. Olympic Festival Men's East Team, guiding that squad to the Gold medal. He was a member of both the NCAA Midwest Regional and Big Ten Conference officiating committees.
A setter in college, Carney attended Kellogg Community College (1973-74) before transferring to Ball State University (1976). He earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from BSU in 1978.
