NEW HEAD COACH Cardinals Women’s Volleyball

In April, after a nationwide search, North Central announced the hiring of Ray Gooden as head women’s volleyball coach.

Gooden has coaching experience at the collegiate, national and international levels, most recently serving as the head women's volleyball coach at Northern Illinois University (NIU).

“Ray brings a lot of high quality, yet relatable experience to North Central — having coached for over 30 years at all levels,” said Jim Miller ’86, North Central College senior director of athletics. “He is well known in the volleyball community, and it became clear during the interview process that Ray was the best choice to be [our] next head women’s volleyball coach.”

Gooden coached the Huskies for more than 20 years, winning five Mid-American Conference (MAC) West division titles, three regular season MAC Championships, and the MAC Tournament Championship in 2016. The five-time MAC Coach of the Year won 357 matches, the most in program history.

Prior to coaching at NIU, Gooden served as the associate head women’s and men’s volleyball coach at Loyola University Chicago; the assistant men’s volleyball coach at Lewis University; the assistant volleyball coach at Northwestern University; and was the first head men’s volleyball coach at Thomas More University in Kentucky, while also serving as the assistant women's volleyball coach.

In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Gooden has worked as an open program tryout evaluator and head coach for USA Volleyball’s High Performance training program. He also has been an assistant coach for the boys junior national team and a visiting coach apprentice for the U.S. National Team.

Outside the U.S., Gooden has coaching experience in Europe and Brazil and was a team advisor for a men’s professional team in Japan. He has also worked as a volleyball analyst for the Big Ten Network, ESPN, NBC Sports Network, and other media outlets.

Gooden officially began his duties at North Central on May 20.

“I have always seen North Central from a distance and knew about the successes and level of excellence this College has,” he said. “I am most looking forward to being in an environment that has so much success. From Jim Miller to the rest of the department, that level of excitement, energy and commitment is exciting.”About Ray Gooden

North Central’s 2024 women’s volleyball season will begin the first week of September, which is not soon enough for Gooden: “I can’t wait to be a part of a team that I feel has potential and can do some positive things moving forward.”

ABOUT RAY GOODEN

• 30 years of collegiate coaching experience, including 20 plus years as head women’s volleyball coach at Northern Illinois University

• USA Volleyball, U.S. National Team and international coaching experience

• Experience as an analyst for the Big Ten Network, ESPN, NBC Sports Network, and other media outlets

• B.A. in economics from Ohio State, where he played varsity and club volleyball