Cathy George
Cathy George is a college women's volleyball coach. She began her coaching career at North Dakota State, coaching there for two years. She moved on to coach Texas-Arlington and made the NCAA tournament twice with the team. She coached Western Michigan next, appearing in the NCAA tournament in 2000 and receiving MAC Coach of the Year. George was most recently the head coach of the Michigan State Spartans and retired at the end of the 2021 season.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | Illinois State |
| Playing career | |
| 1981-1985 | Illinois State |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1987-1988 | North Dakota State |
| 1989-1993 | UT-Arlington |
| 1994-2004 | Western Michigan |
| 2005-2021 | Michigan State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 667-457 (.593) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| MAC Coach of the Year (2000) 3x Southland Coach of the Year (1989, 1990, 1992) | |
Early life
Cathy George graduated from Illinois State in 1985. She lettered in volleyball all four years at the university. While on the team, they won three consecutive conference titles and had three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. George was a team captain. She also earned All-MVC three times.[1]
George earned her Master's degree in Education from Central Michigan in 1987. She is married and has two sons.[1][2]
Coaching career
North Dakota State
George spent two years coaching at North Dakota State, finishing with an overall record of 87-11. She was the NCAA Division II Coach of the Year and the North Central Conference Coach of the Year twice.[1]
Texas-Arlington
Starting in 1989, George coached the Texas-Arlington volleyball team. George coached there for five seasons, finishing with a record of 93-74. She was a three-time Southland Conference Coach of the Year.[1]
The 1989 team finished third in the NCAA tournament, a school record, and she became the first female to coach in the Final Four.[1]
Western Michigan
George began coaching Western Michigan in 1994. She coached for eleven seasons, culminating in a 185-139 overall record.[1][2]
She was the MAC coach of the year in 2000; the team made the NCAA tournament that year.[1][2]
Michigan State
George started coaching the Michigan State volleyball team in 2005. She said that it was always her dream to coach in the Big Ten. She was announced as the head coach a week after Chuck Erbe retired.[2] The team was ranked ninth in the Big Ten preseason polls.[3] She retired at the end of the 2021 season, being the winningest coach in program history, with a record of 302-233. She also led the Spartans to 10 NCAA Appearances.[4]
Head coaching record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota State Bison () (1987–1988) | |||||||||
| 1987 | North Dakota State | 44-8 | - | Division II NCAA Fifth Place | |||||
| 1988 | North Dakota State | 43-3 | - | Division II NCAA Third Place | |||||
| North Dakota State: | 87-11 (.888) | ||||||||
| UT Arlington Mavericks (Southland Conference) (1989–1993) | |||||||||
| 1989 | UT Arlington | 31-4 | 7-0 | 1st | NCAA National semifinals | ||||
| 1990 | UT Arlington | 18-19 | 7-0 | 1st | NCAA first round | ||||
| 1991 | UT Arlington | 13-18 | 8-1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1992 | UT Arlington | 20-14 | 9-0 | 1st | |||||
| 1993 | UT Arlington | 11-19 | 6-3 | T-4th | |||||
| UT Arlington: | 93-74 (.557) | 37-4 (.902) | |||||||
| Western Michigan Broncos (Mid-American Conference) (1994–2004) | |||||||||
| 1994 | Western Michigan | 10-16 | 6-11 | 7th | |||||
| 1995 | Western Michigan | 8-20 | 5-12 | 8th | |||||
| 1996 | Western Michigan | 20-8 | 10-7 | 3rd | |||||
| 1997 | Western Michigan | 13-15 | 9-7 | 3rd | |||||
| 1998 | Western Michigan | 19-13 | 11-7 | 3rd | |||||
| 1999 | Western Michigan | 25-7 | 15-3 | 2nd | |||||
| 2000 | Western Michigan | 25-6 | 17-1 | 1st | NCAA first round | ||||
| 2001 | Western Michigan | 15-11 | 10-8 | 4th | |||||
| 2002 | Western Michigan | 14-18 | 8-10 | 3rd | |||||
| 2003 | Western Michigan | 17-14 | 8-8 | 3rd | |||||
| 2004 | Western Michigan | 19-11 | 11-5 | 2nd | |||||
| Western Michigan: | 185-139 (.571) | 110-79 (.582) | |||||||
| Michigan State Spartans (Big Ten Conference) (2005–present) | |||||||||
| 2005 | Michigan State | 12-18 | 5-15 | 9th | |||||
| 2006 | Michigan State | 19-12 | 10-10 | 6th | NCAA first round | ||||
| 2007 | Michigan State | 21-14 | 10-10 | 5th | NCAA regional semifinal | ||||
| 2008 | Michigan State | 15-16 | 7-13 | 7th | |||||
| 2009 | Michigan State | 17-16 | 5-15 | 10th | NCAA first round | ||||
| 2010 | Michigan State | 15-16 | 7-13 | 9th | |||||
| 2011 | Michigan State | 22-12 | 10-10 | 6th | NCAA second round | ||||
| 2012 | Michigan State | 25-10 | 11-9 | 6th | NCAA regional semifinal | ||||
| 2013 | Michigan State | 23-12 | 10-10 | 7th | NCAA regional semifinal | ||||
| 2014 | Michigan State | 19-14 | 11-9 | 7th | NCAA second round | ||||
| 2015 | Michigan State | 19-14 | 10-10 | 7th | NCAA second round | ||||
| 2016 | Michigan State | 25-9 | 13-7 | 5th | NCAA second round | ||||
| 2017 | Michigan State | 23-9 | 14-6 | 4th | NCAA Regional finals | ||||
| 2018 | Michigan State | 17-16 | 5-15 | T-9th | |||||
| 2019 | Michigan State | 15-15 | 6-14 | 9th | |||||
| 2020 | Michigan State | 3-12 | 3-12 | T-12th | |||||
| 2021 | Michigan State | 11-18 | 4-16 | T-11th | |||||
| Michigan State: | 301-233 (.564) | 141-180 (.439) | |||||||
| Total: | 666-457 (.593) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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References
- "Cathy George". Michigan State Spartans. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
- "Mason Chooses Proven Winner". Lansing State Journal. December 10, 2004. p. 17. Retrieved November 8, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Volleyball team out to be a surprise". Lansing State Journal. August 27, 2005. p. 13. Retrieved November 8, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- "MSU Volleyball Coach Cathy George announces retirement". The State News. Retrieved February 23, 2022.