The philosophy of John Cook can be summarized in two simple words.

Dream Big.

When Cook took over the reins of the Nebraska volleyball program following the 1999 season, the challenge facing him was daunting. Cook replaced one of the sport’s legendary coaches in Terry Pettit, who won 694 matches and guided the Huskers to 18 consecutive NCAA appearances and six national semifinals.

Cook, who left an emerging power in Wisconsin to guide the tradition-rich Husker program, had his own vision for Nebraska volleyball. He saw a program that had even more potential to grow. His goals included consistently selling out home matches at the NU Coliseum, expanding the media exposure for his program and continuing the tradition of athletic and academic excellence started by Pettit nearly a quarter of a century earlier. Cook saw the long-range potential in reaching across the Husker Nation and making them a vital part of the program’s success. He also believed Nebraska could shine by hosting the sport’s championship in the largest setting college volleyball had ever seen.

When others saw risks, Cook saw opportunities.

In 2006, Cook’s dream was realized, as the Husker Nation had an opportunity to see Nebraska raise the bar in college volleyball. From record-setting, sold-out crowds at the Qwest Center Omaha to a team that maximized its potential in winning the school’s third national title, the Huskers enjoyed a remarkable season.

The Huskers entered the season with many questions, as they were forced to replace three All-Americans, including AVCA National Player-of-the-Year Christina Houghtelling. With four first-year starters on the court, including freshmen starters at both setter and middle blocker, and sky-high expectations with the NCAA Championships in Omaha for the first time, 2006 shaped up to be Cook’s toughest coaching job to date.

Nebraska took on all challenges head-on, going 33-1 and becoming only the third team in NCAA history to be ranked No. 1 the entire season. The Huskers went on the road and overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat Minnesota to reach the national semifinals, marking the first time that Nebraska had won a regional outside the state. That win set the stage for a watershed moment in college volleyball. Behind sellout crowds of over 17,000, the Huskers captured the school’s third national title with victories over  No. 4 UCLA and No. 2 Stanford. Four players earned AVCA All-America honors, highlighted by Sarah Pavan, who became Nebraska’s first Honda-Broderick Cup winner and fourth AVCA National Player of the Year.

Two years later, another Husker team completed a storybook season by reaching the NCAA semifinals in Omaha. The event once again was a smashing success, as an all-time NCAA attendance record of 17,430 traveled through a winter storm to witness one of the most memorable moments in school history. The Huskers dropped the first two sets to No. 1 Penn State, only to come back and win the next two sets to even the match and hand the Nittany Lions their only set losses of the year. Although the Huskers were unable to complete the comeback, the performance symbolized a never-say-quit attitude that fueled the team’s success. Despite losing a pair of key performers to season-ending injuries, the Huskers went 31-3 and won its fifth consecutive conference title. The Huskers overcame a 2-0 deficit in the regional final at Washington and trailed 9-3 in the fifth set before regrouping and earning the school’s 11th trip to the NCAA semifinals. Jordan Larson, Tara Mueller and Sydney Anderson all earned All-America honors,  while Larson was named Big 12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.

Consistent excellence has been a hallmark of Cook’s Nebraska squads. Over the last nine years, Cook has guided Nebraska to a pair of national titles, five NCAA semifinal appearances and eight Big 12 titles.  His teams have compiled a 281-19  overall record, including a 172-8 league mark.  Overall, Cook is 94-15 against ranked teams at NU, including an 18-8 mark against top-five teams.

With Cook at the helm, Nebraska has produced numerous individual honors including four U.S. National Team members, a Honda-Broderick Cup winner, three AVCA Division I National Players of the Year, two NCAA Top Eight Award winners, 30 AVCA All-Americans, three CoSIDA Academic All-Americans of the Year, 16 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, six Big 12 Players of the Year and three Big 12 Co-Players of the Year. Husker student-athletes have also combined for 33 All-Big 12 Conference awards and 52 academic All-Big 12 certificates.

Cook’s accomplishments haven’t gone unnoticed, as he is a two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, earning the prestigious honor in 2000 and 2005, and a three-time Big 12 Coach of the Year. He is one of only five active coaches - and one of six all-time - to be a two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year and was honored in 2008 by USA Volleyball, receiving its All-Time Great Coach Award.

The Huskers have enjoyed unprecedented success over the last five seasons, making three appearances in the NCAA semifinals . Nebraska is also only school to reach the Elite Eight all five years.

In 2007, the Huskers set a pair of NCAA single-match attendance records and won the Big 12 title for the fourth consecutive year. The Huskers advanced to the regional final before a loss to Cal ended a 30-2 season, while a school-record five Huskers earned AVCA All-America awards. Pavan, Houghtelling and Tracy Stalls all earned first-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.

The 2005 campaign was a special one for the Nebraska program. The Huskers advanced to the national title match for the fifth time in school history and finished with a 33-2 mark. Nebraska led the nation in blocking (4.12 per game) and ranked in the top 10 nationally in assists, kills and hitting percentage.  Four Huskers earned AVCA All-America honors, while Houghtelling was named AVCA National Player of the Year.

Cook’s vision is for the Huskers to remain at the forefront of college volleyball to enhance the sport at both the local and national levels. Nebraska enters 2009 with an NCAA-record 120 consecutive sellouts at the NU Coliseum and will host the NCAA Regional in Omaha this December.

Cook has also been instrumental in helping to expand the program’s visibility throughout the state and the Midwest. In 2004, the Huskers hosted a regular-season match against Creighton in North Platte so that the fans in the western part of the state could see the Huskers in person. In addition, Cook’s efforts have helped Nebraska enjoy one of the most extensive multi-media packages in the country, as every match is carried live on a state-wide radio network and nearly every contest is shown either live on television or streamed live on the Internet.

“It is a reflection of Nebraska volleyball and the program, and not about one person or one player,” Cook said when accepting the AVCA Coach-of-the-Year Award in 2005. “We’re trying to be a leader in the sport. We’re trying to take risks and dream big, and fortunately I’m surrounded by a lot of people who have that vision. I’m really proud of what we’re doing to try and enhance the sport.”

Three Straight 30-Win Seasons
Cook immediately started to create his own legacy after taking over for Pettit. In his first season at the helm, Cook was named the AVCA National Coach of the Year after guiding the Huskers to a 34-0 record and the 2000 national championship. The Huskers, who became just the second team in NCAA history to cap an undefeated season with a national title, were ranked No. 1 in the AVCA/USA Today Top 25 poll for 14 straight weeks.

The Nebraska players flourished under Cook, whose responsibilities included working directly with the setters during his first two seasons. Greichaly Cepero earned AVCA National Player-of-the-Year honors. Three Huskers claimed AVCA All-America certificates, and five Nebraska players were named to the All-Big 12 teams. Laura Pilakowski earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, and a conference-best seven Huskers earned academic All-Big 12 recognition.

In 2001, Cook’s second season, Nebraska fell just two wins short of capturing another NCAA title. The Huskers, who were ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in the AVCA poll all season, went 20-0 in the Big 12 while Cook was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year. NU finished the season with a 31-2 record after falling to eventual national champion Stanford in the NCAA semifinals. Nebraska placed four players on the AVCA All-America teams, while right side hitter Nancy Metcalf (Meendering) was selected as an NCAA Top Eight Award winner and was also named the CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year.

Pilakowski and Cepero joined Metcalf on the CoSIDA Academic All-America teams, as Pilakowski earned second-team honors and Cepero received third-team recognition.

In Cook’s third season, the Huskers continued their remarkable success. NU finished the season ranked fifth in the AVCA poll with a 31-2 record to secure its third straight 30-win season. Nebraska produced the most dominant conference season in school history, going 20-0 and losing just two sets en route to winning the league championship for the third straight year. Cepero and Amber Holmquist again earned first-team AVCA All-America honors, and Pilakowski was recognized on the second team. Pilakowski was named a first-team CoSIDA Academic All-American, and Holmquist was a second-team pick. Cepero, Holmquist and Pilakowski shared Big 12 Player-of-the-Year accolades.

Cook faced perhaps his greatest coaching challenge at Nebraska during the 2003 season, when the Huskers had to replace three All-Americans and their first-ever libero.  With so much young talent, Cook opted to run a 6-2 (two-setter) offense to utilize as many players as possible. NU went on to finish the season with a 28-5 record and an appearance in its 10th straight Sweet 16.

The 2004 season may have been one of Cook’s best coaching jobs, as a youthful squad that had as many as five freshmen or sophomores on the court went 30-2 and was ranked No. 1 in the country heading into the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers displayed a suffocating defense, leading the nation in both opponent hitting percentage (.103) and blocks per game (4.02) before falling to two-time defending NCAA champion USC in five sets in the regional final. Three Huskers earned AVCA All-America honors, while Pavan was chosen as the AVCA National Freshman of the Year. That group of Huskers became the centerpiece of Nebraska’s consecutive NCAA Finals teams in 2005 and 2006.

Building the Badgers
Cook, who served as an assistant under Pettit for three seasons from 1988 to 1991, took over the Nebraska head coaching job after serving as associate head coach during the 1999 season. Before returning to Nebraska in 1999, Cook led Wisconsin to six straight postseason appearances in seven seasons as the Badgers’ head coach.  

Cook’s accomplishments at Wisconsin earned him praise as one of the game’s top young coaches. Cook built the Badgers into a top-10 program during his seven-year career in Madison, which included back-to-back trips to the NCAA regional finals in 1997 and 1998.

In his final match at Wisconsin, Cook’s Badgers fell to the Huskers in a three-hour, five-set battle in the 1998 Pacific Regional Championship in the NU Coliseum. Wisconsin ended the season ranked seventh in the final USA Today/AVCA Coaches Poll with a 30-5 record.

Cook compiled a 161-73 ledger at the helm of the Badgers, including an 89-51 league mark in one of the nation’s toughest conferences. He was named the Big Ten Co-Coach and AVCA District 2 Coach of the Year in 1997 after leading the Badgers to a share of the Big Ten title with a 19-1 mark and school-best 30-3 overall record.

In his seven years at Wisconsin, the Badgers advanced to six straight postseason tournaments, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997 and 1998. In 1995, Wisconsin won the National Invitational Volleyball Championship with a perfect 6-0 record.

During his tenure at UW, he coached four All-Americans, nine AVCA All-District award winners, 11 All-Big Ten honorees and two Big Ten Freshmen of the Year. He also coached 21 academic All-Big Ten selections during his seven seasons.

Other Coaching Experiences
Cook also brings Olympic and championship experience to the Husker staff. As the first assistant coach with the U.S. Men’s National Volleyball team, Cook aided the United States to a bronze medal in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. The team’s defensive coordinator, he was also in charge of scouting and supervising the team’s flexibility, strength and conditioning programs.

For his Olympic coaching experience, Cook was honored in June of 1993 at the NACDA/USOC Collegiate Coaches Recognition Awards Luncheon.
 
In the summer of 2004, Cook served as head coach of the Women’s National Volleyball Training Team, guiding his squad to the title in the Women’s Open Division of the USA Volleyball Adult Open Championships in Atlanta, Ga.

During his first tenure at Nebraska (1989-91), the Huskers advanced to the NCAA semifinals two of the three seasons, including a runner-up finish in 1989. Nebraska also went 36-0 in conference play, capturing three Big Eight Conference championships each of those three seasons. During that time, he served as Pettit’s recruiting coordinator, chief scout and strength and conditioning coordinator. Cook was also the liaison with the academic advising center.

In the U.S. Olympic Festival competition, Cook served as head coach of the bronze medal-winning North team in 1989 and was an assistant coach with the third-place West team in 1987.

A co-founder of the San Diego Volleyball Club, Cook served as a coach with the club from 1986 to 1988. The club won two Southern California Regional Championships and finished among the final four teams twice in the USVBA Junior Olympics for girls 18 and under.

Cook also served as the head assistant coach at the University of California-San Diego from 1983 to 1984, where he aided the Tritons to an NCAA Division III national championship in 1984 and a second-place national finish in 1983. Cook’s coaching credentials also include leading Francis Parker High School in San Diego to two California state championships. During his six-year coaching stint from 1981 to 1988, he had a .900 winning percentage with an overall record of 162-18, including a 90-match winning streak.

A well-known speaker on volleyball skills, Cook travels around the nation participating in clinics. During his stay at Wisconsin, he served as the host of the Badger Coaching Symposium every spring.

A graduate of the University of San Diego, Cook earned his bachelor’s degree in history in 1979. He completed his master’s degree in teaching and coaching effectiveness from San Diego State in 1991.

Cook and his wife Wendy, a former two-time All-America setter at San Diego State, are the parents of two children, Lauren, 18, and Taylor, 15. Lauren will be a freshman at UCLA this fall.