Chuck Erbe

While in California during the early 1970s, Erbe worked at Tustin and Huntington Beach as a high school volleyball coach.[2][5] In 1972, the Adidas volleyball club was founded by Erbe in Los Angeles.[6][2] As their coach, Erbe won the Women's Open event held during the 1975 United States Volleyball Association Indoor Open National Championship with Adidas.[7][8] Erbe and Adidas were second at this United States Volleyball Association event from 1976 to 1977.[6] He won the 1980 edition with a team from Fountain Valley.[9][8] In 1981, Erbe and the California Juniors entered the United States Volleyball Association Junior National Championships.[10] At that year's event, the California Juniors were second in the Girls 19 and Under division.[11]

During this time period, Erbe was the women's coach of the Junior National Volleyball Team for the United States in 1973.[12] It was founded that year and made from his Adidas team.[6] The following year, Erbe coached the American team that competed at the 1974 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.[13][14] Erbe and the United States won the Pacific Rim International Volleyball Championships in 1975 and 1976.[15] His team did not play for the United States at the 1976 Summer Olympics.[16] Due to the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott, Erbe did not work with the American women's volleyball team as an assistant coach.[17] At the 1981 World University Games, he was the American women's volleyball coach.[18]

In 1976, Erbe became the coach of the USC Trojans women's volleyball team.[19] With the University of Southern California, Erbe's team won the AIAW National Large College Volleyball Championship in 1976 and 1977.[20] In February 1978, Erbe ended his coaching position with USC.[21] By December 1978, Erbe was an assistant coach for the university.[22] After becoming the coach of their women's volleyball team in 1979, Erbe and Southern California won the 1980 AIAW National Division I Volleyball Championship.[23][24]

While with USC during the 1980s, Erbe declined an offer to become the volleyball coach for the University of Illinois.[3] In 1981, Southern California joined the NCAA Division I.[25] That year, Erbe's team won the 1981 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament.[26] They also were runner-ups at the 1982 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament.[27] After accumulating 310 wins, 121 losses and 3 ties with Southern California, he left his coaching position in January 1989.[28]

In February 1989, Erbe was considered by Southern Illinois University Carbondale to become their volleyball coach.[29] With the University of Illinois, Erbe was an assistant volleyball coach from April 1989 to 1990.[30][31] For the Great Lakes Volleyball Center, he held a directorship from 1990 to 1993.[32] With the organization, Erbe was a scheduler during 1991.[33]

During the 1990s, Erbe worked in Chicago and was with Sports Performance as a referee.[34][35] While there, Erbe worked with the volleyball club as their coach.[3] By 1993, the University of Michigan and Michigan State University had declined to hire Erbe as a coach.[36]

In 1993, Erbe joined the Michigan State Spartans women's volleyball team as their coach.[37] As part of the Big Ten Conference, Erbe's team won the conference in 1995 and were co-winners in 1996.[38][39] During this time period, Erbe and Michigan State reached the Final Four during the 1995 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament.[40] After accumulating 244 wins and 140 losses, Erbe ended his coaching career with Michigan State in 2004.[41]

During 2005, Erbe went to Chicago and was a youth volleyball referee.[42] He was a referee in a 2008 college volleyball game held by Texas Tech and Nebraska.[43] In 2019, Erbe continued his coaching career when he was hired by Forest Hills Eastern to lead their volleyball team.[44]