Saluting UCLA’s Olympians

The 1988 gold-medal winning U.S. Olympic Team featured four UCLA greats (l-r): Doug Partie, Dave Saunders, Karch Kiraly and Ricci Luyties, Saunders and Kiraly also helped the U.S win the gold in 1984 in Los Angeles. Partie won a bronze medal in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.

Karch Kiraly (above and left) and Kent Steffes (far left below) won the gold medal in the inaugural beach volleyball competition in Atlanta in 1996. With his two indoor gold medals and his beach gold, Kiraly is the only male volleyball player in Olympic history to win three gold medals. He coached the U.S. Women’s team to a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Games and then to gold at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Photos courtesy of Getty Images, USA Volleyball and the USOC. John Speraw has served as head coach of the U.S. Men’s Volleyball Team at the past two Olympic Games competitions. He guided the U.S. to a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Games. He was an assistant coach of the gold medal-winning U.S. Men’s team in 2008, at the Beijing Games, and also in 2012, at the London Games. 1964– Mike O’Hara, Ernie Suwara, Keith Erickson 1968– Larry Rundle

1984– Karch Kiraly**, Steve Salmons**, Dave Saunders** 1988– Karch Kiraly**, Ricci Luyties**, Doug Partie**, Dave Saunders**

1992– Doug Partie*, Fred Sturm (coach), Greg Giovanazzi (Asst. Coach) 1996– Carl Henkel, Karch Kiraly** Dan Landry, Bjorn Maaseide (Norway), Jeff Nygaard, Sinjin Smith, Kent Steffes**, Fred Sturm (Coach), Rudy Suwara (Asst. Coach) 2000– Dan Landry, Jeff Nygaard Erik Sullivan, Bjorn Maaseide (Norway), Mark Williams (Australia), Kevin Wong 2004– Bjorn Maaseide (Norway), Stein Metzger, Jeff Nygaard Erik Sullivan, Mark Williams (Australia) 2008– John Speraw* (Assistant Coach-men) 2012– John Speraw (Assistant Coach-men) Karch Kiraly (Assistant Coach-women) 2016– John Speraw* (Head Coach-men)

Karch Kiraly* (Head Coach-women)

2020– John Speraw (Head Coach-men) Mitch Stahl, Garrett Muagututia, Erik Sullivan (asst.)

Karch Kiraly** (Head Coach-women)

**Won Gold medal *Won Bronze medal

Mitch Stahl in action at 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Clockwise from top left corner: Kevin Wong, Jeff Nygaard, Mark Williams (Australia), Dan Landry, Stein Metzger, Erik Sullivan and John Speraw (middle). Over 30 former volleyball players have represented UCLA in the Olympic Games.

(Photos courtesy of USA Volleyball)