USA Volleyball's 2003 award winners announced

by Paul Soriano USA Volleyball Manager, Public Relations & Publications

USA Volleyball honored its 2003 award winners and its 75th Anniversary All-Era Teams on Thursday, May 22, 2003, at the Dorothy C. Boyce Annual Awards and RecognitionÂ's Banquet, hosted by Molten at the Hilton Minneapolis Hotel.

The All-Era Teams represent five different and distinct eras in the history of the organization. The teams -- three men's (1928-1952; 1953-1977; 1978-2003) and two women's (1949-1977; 1978-2003) -- are comprised of 12 players and three-to-four coaches from that era and were chosen by five separately appointed Selection Committees.

Included in this select list are 29 members of the Volleyball Hall of Fame, world champions, national champions, countless Olympians and Olympic medallists of every hue-gold, silver and bronze.

More detailed information about each award and the 2003 recipients can be found on the USA Volleyball web site at http://www.usavolleyball.org.

The 2003 Award Winners

Dr. Harold T. Friermood "FRIER" Award

Recognizes individuals who have made longtime significant contributions to volleyball.

Winner: Gary Colberg

Merton H. Kennedy/Elmer L. Johnson Heritage Award

Recognizes individuals and organizations for their significant contributions to the planning, collection, storage, retrieval and management of volleyball archives.

Volleyball Hall of Fame

George J. Fisher Leader In Volleyball Award

Winners: Marcia L. Alterman, David M. Lockwood, Lynne McDonald, E.C. (Chip) Reiley, Kevin J. Twohig, and Paula J. Weishoff.

Karen M. Johnson Human Resources Award

Presented to an individual in the area of Member Relations and Human Resources.

Winners: Charles and Joan Stemm

Dr. Neville A. "Doc" Booth Commissioners Award

Recognizes those individuals who have made significant contributions to volleyball and USA Volleyball through the office of the regional commissioner.

Dave Spencer, Great Plains Region

Wilbur H.Peck Referee Emeritus Award

Winner: Darryl Bender

Nancy S. Sharpless Scorekeeper Emeritus Award

Winner: Kim Williams

E.Douglas Boyden Media Recognition Award

Recognizes and thanks individuals who have supported volleyball on a continuing basis.

Winner: Pam Schmid, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Viggo O. Nelson Member Organization Communications Awards

Recognizes organizations that have achieved excellence in volleyball publications and encourages others to develop quality publications.

Winners:

For Collegiate Media Guides: 1A - Wake Forest University, 2A - Tennessee Tech University, 3A - Texas Tech University, and 4A - Texas A&M University.

For USA Volleyball Regional Publications: Web Site - Gateway Region, Handbook - Northern California Region, Newsletter - Chesapeake Region.

The following awards will be announced at a later date:

Edward P. Lauten Scorekeeper's Award (Friday, May 23)

Golden Whistle Award (Friday, May 23)

Silver Whistle Award (Tuesday, May 27)

The 2003 Junior Olympic Volleyball Award for Outstanding Male Coach, Outstanding Female Coach, Outstanding Program Director, Outstanding Service and Outstanding Parent Service will be presented at the various Junior Olympic Championships events during the summer.

For more information, go to the USA Volleyball web site.