Vote for Karch: Kiraly Nominated to USOC Hall of Fame

No matter what your political persuasion, USA Volleyball has a candidate that all volleyball fans can support.

Vote for Karch Kiraly!

The United States Olympic Committee on Wednesday announced the finalists for the USOC Hall of Fame Class of 2008 and invites the public to vote online at www.usolympichalloffame.com to help determine who will comprise the next class of inductees. Voting will be open until March 28.

Kiraly (Santa Barbara, Calif.), the only volleyball player to win three Olympic gold medals, is one of the 18 individual athletes nominated for induction.

Six individual Olympians, one Olympic team and one Paralympian, along with a coach, a veteran and a special contributor, will be honored during the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Presented by Allstate. The awards-show style ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. on June 19 at the Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater in Chicago, Ill.
Additionally, a nationally-televised special will enable sports fans across the United States to relive the moments that catapulted the Class of 2008 inductees to U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame status. In addition to Allstate’s role as presenting sponsor for the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, AT&T and Kleenex will serve as supporting sponsors for the event. Additional information regarding the telecast of the induction ceremony will be released at a later date.
Envisioned as a lasting tribute to the pursuit of excellence and the Olympic ideals, the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame was established to celebrate the achievements of America's premier athletes in the modern Olympic Games.

The Class of 2008 finalists in the individual sport/event, team and Paralympic categories were selected by a nominating committee consisting of athletes, members of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, historians and USOC representatives. The committee also selected the individuals to be honored in the coach, veteran and special contributor categories. Their names will be announced with the other inductees.
Considered by many to be the greatest volleyball player of all time, Karch Kiraly, 47, is the winningest player in the history of the game. When he was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2001, he was named the greatest men's volleyball player of the sport's first century.
The FIVB, volleyball's international federation, recognized Kiraly as the finest volleyball player in the world for the last century, citing Kiraly's performance and courage in leading the U.S. men's team to an unprecedented string of historic championships, including the famed Triple Crown of volleyball, which included gold medals at the 1984 Olympics, the 1985 World Cup and the 1986 World Championships.
The 1984 Olympic gold medal was the United States' first gold medal for volleyball. He led the U.S. Men to a second gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games.
Following the first two Olympic indoor wins, Kiraly spent two years playing in the Italian professional indoor volleyball leagues and then committed to a full-time schedule on the professional beach volleyball tour.
In 1996, he and partner Kent Steffes won the first Olympic gold medal in beach volleyball as the sport made its debut at the Summer Games in Atlanta.

Before retiring at the end of the 2007 season, Kiraly won at least one tournament in 24 of the 28 seasons he played, spanning four different decades. He claimed a title in 24 different states with 13 different partners. In domestic events, he finished lower than ninth place only four times and has been in the semifinals over 80 percent of the time.
Kiraly has been named the Most Valuable Player by the AVP (American Volleyball Professionals) six times and was named “Best Player in the World” in 1986 and 1988. He was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame Class in 2005.
In 1992, Kiraly was inducted into the UCLA Hall of Fame and had his jersey retired after an All-American volleyball career with the Bruins. While in school, he led his team to three NCAA Championships (1979, 1981 and 1982) and earned All-American honors all four years. In his four years, the Bruins compiled a 123-5 match record, with undefeated seasons in both 1979 and 1982.
Kiraly lives in San Clemente, Calif., with his wife, Janna, and sons Kristian and Kory.
U.S.  Olympic Hall of Fame Class of 2008 Finalists
Individual Finalists – Six (6) to be inducted
Greg Barton, Canoe/Kayak
Bruce Baumgartner, Wrestling, freestyle
Joan Benoit, Track & Field
Jeff Blatnick, Wrestling
Brian Boitano, Figure Skating
Valerie Brisco, Track & Field
Oscar de la Hoya, Boxing
Teresa Edwards, Basketball
Karch Kiraly, Volleyball
Mary T. Meagher, Swimming
Sheila Young Ochowicz, Speedskating
Darrell Pace, Archery
J. Michael Plumb, Equestrian
David Robinson, Basketball
John Smith, Wrestling
Amy Van Dyken, Swimming
Peter Westbrook, Fencing
Lones Wigger, Shooting
Teams – One (1) to be inducted
1976 Women’s Swimming 4x100 Freestyle Relay
1992 Men’s Basketball Team
1996 Synchronized Swimming Team
1996 Women’s Gymnastics Team
1998 Women’s Ice Hockey Team
Paralympians – One (1) to be inducted
Ross Davis, Track & Field
Jean Driscoll, Track & Field
Sharon Hedrick, Track & Field
Jim Mastro, Judo/Wrestling/Track & Field/Goalball
John Morgan, Swimming

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