For more than half a century Pepperdine University has sent numerous athletes to compete for their country on the sports world’s greatest stage. Just this past week Pepperdine University was honored with the U.S. Olympic Achievement Award in recognition of its athletes who have played at the highest level for Team USA. Men’s volleyball coach Marv Dunphy was also recognized for his individual contributions to the U.S. National Team.
According to a United States Olympic Committee press release a total of 43 institutions contributed to the USA’s medal success at the last two Olympic Games and received this award.
To be given out every two years following the Olympic Games the award will recognize colleges and universities based on two criteria: having a current student-athlete who was part of a medal-winning performance or a coach who was a credentialed member of a U.S. Olympic medal-winning team.
Since 1956 more than 40 members of Pepperdine’s community have participated in the Olympics as either a player or a coach.
Dunphy in his 28th year as coach of Pepperdine’s men’s volleyball program was one of five NCAA volleyball coaches to be individually recognized. He had significant success coaching at the national level. The United States was ranked first in the world and compiled an overall record of 197-31 (.864) during his time as coach. Under Dunphy the team won every major international tournament in which it played including a gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games.
Dunphy has also been an assistant coach at the 2000 Olympics and a consultant coach at the 1996 2004 and 2008 Olympics.
Nineteen of Dunphy’s players have played for the U.S. National team and 10 have represented Pepperdine and the United States at the Olympic level. Most recently Sean Rooney (2002-05) won gold with the U.S. at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Along with Rooney’s gold medal three other alumni returned victorious from Beijing. Water polo’s Merrill Moses (1995-98) and Jesse Smith (2001-05) won the silver medal in men’s water polo under Terry Schroeder head coach and Pepperdine water polo director of operations. Simon Aspelin (1994-97) won the silver medal in doubles tennis for his home country of Sweden.
This award was created in order to recognize colleges and universities as integral parts to the development of future national team players. According to Scott Blackman U.S. Olympic Committee CEO “For many Olympic sports collegiate athletics programs are an integral part of the athlete developmental pipeline for Team USA. These awards acknowledge the critical role universities play in our continued Olympic success and the necessity of supporting Olympic sports at the collegiate level.”