Legendary Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook announced his retirement on Wednesday after two and a half decades at the helm in Lincoln, and the Huskers have already named his successor in former Husker player and coach Dani Busboom Kelly.
“I’ve been here for 25 years,” Cook said in a release. “That’s a long time to do something. It’s been a great run. I want to thank my family for their support, and I want to thank Bill Byrne and Terry Pettit for giving me the opportunity to be the Nebraska volleyball coach. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some great coaches and staff over the years, and I’m forever grateful for how hard they worked and for how much they gave to Nebraska volleyball.
“For me personally, the greatest accomplishment in coaching is seeing former players go into coaching or other careers and taking the lessons they’ve learned from being a Nebraska volleyball player and applying it to their everyday lives. There is no greater reward in coaching than that. Lastly and most importantly, I want to thank the fans for always supporting Nebraska volleyball. I’ve always said to ‘Dream Big’, and we’ve dreamed bigger than any volleyball program in the history of the world.”
Cook spent seven years at Wisconsin before leading the Huskers for 25 season and amassed a career record of 883-176 (.834), the fifth-best winning percentage all-time for a Division I volleyball coach. At Nebraska, he led the Huskers to four national championships (2000, 2006, 2015, 2017), 12 National Semifinal appearances, 14 conference titles (nine Big 12, five Big Ten) and a cumulative record of 722-103, the best winning percentage (.875) for any Division-I program over the last 25 years.
“John Cook leaves a legacy of excellence that places him alongside a very small group of coaches who can be considered the greatest in college athletics history, regardless of sport,” Nebraska Director of Athletics Troy Dannen said. “John took over one of the nation’s best programs a quarter century ago and elevated it to another level. The national championships, Final Four appearances, conference championships, All-Americans and Olympians speak for themselves, but John’s impact goes beyond the on-court accolades. Behind his vision, Nebraska volleyball has become arguably the most successful women’s program in the country which has helped the sport of volleyball reach a popularity level it has never seen before.”
In Cook’s final season, Nebraska went 33-3 with a Big Ten title and a Final Four appearance. The Huskers came up short in the semifinals in a five-set battle with Penn State, who defeated Louisville two days later in the championship match.
During his time, Cook oversaw the transition from the Coliseum to the Devaney Center while maintaining the program’s sellout streak, as well as Nebraska’s departure from the Big 12 for the Big Ten, arguably the most competitive conference in college volleyball. Amid all the changes in college sports over the years, Cook and his staffs continued to elevate Nebraska’s status throughout his tenure.
Cook said seeing former players go into coaching has been his greatest accomplishment, and his coaching tree is extensive, with Busboom Kelly at the front of that line.
A standout setter-turned-libero for the Huskers (2003-06) from Cortland, Nebraska, and Adams Freeman High School, Busboom Kelly served as an assistant coach on Cook’s staff from 2012 to 2016, helping her alma mater win a national title in 2015.
She left Nebraska to accept the head coaching position at Louisville, where she led the Cardinals to two NCAA Championship matches, three NCAA Semifinals, five regional finals and four ACC titles. She has compiled a 203-44 (.822) record in her eight seasons at Louisville, including a 120-15 (.889) mark over the last four years, the second-best winning percentage in the country during that span.
“The opportunity to come home to Nebraska is more than a dream come true,” Busboom Kelly said in a release. “I want to thank Troy Dannen, Dr. Jeffrey Gold, and Kristen Brown for their trust in me to continue the legacy of Nebraska volleyball. A huge thank you to John Cook. I would not be here without his mentorship and support. I’ve gotten chills listening to the roars in the Coliseum and now Devaney since I was nine years old. Nebraska is the greatest place in the world to play volleyball and I am honored to be a part of it once again! My family and I can’t wait to get to work and bring more championships home. Go Big Red!”
Busboom Kelly, who led the Cardinals to a 30-6 record and national runner-up finish this past season, signed a six-year contract, and Nebraska will formally introduce her as the fourth head coach in program history on Feb. 6.
“We are excited to welcome Dani and her family back to Lincoln to continue our tradition of excellence in our volleyball program,” Dannen said. “She has demonstrated outstanding leadership at the highest levels of the sport and I am confident that our program will remain among the nation’s elite for years to come. This is a special place that needs an exceptional coach, and we have her. Welcome to Dani and her family!”
