Who is the UPC Lineman of the Week following the Sept. 4 game against Savannah State?
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Chad Callihan
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Courtesy: GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com
Release: 01/22/2008
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Entering the 2010 season, Chad Callihan embarks on his third year at Georgia Southern carrying with him a 37-28 (.569) record in two seasons with the Eagles. Callihan, a former Southern Conference ‘Coach of the Year’, became the eighth volleyball coach in Georgia Southern University history in January 2008.
Callihan owns a 157-104 (.602) career record in eight years as a head coach – four years at Appalachian State University, two at Radford University and two at Georgia Southern. Not only have his teams succeeded on the court, they did so in the classroom as well. All four of his Mountaineer teams received the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award.
In just two years at Georgia Southern, Callihan has turned the program around. A program that went 10-21 in 2007 capped the 2009 campaign with a 21-10 record and finished third in the South Division for the second year in a row.
The Eagles went 16-18 in Callihan’s first year and witnessed the first conference award honoree since 2006 when Bethany Sanford was named All-Freshman. Sanford joined freshman Kate Van Dyke in 2009 as the first All-SoCon First Team selections since 2005. Van Dyke, who ranked fourth in program history after 2009 with 1,229 assists, also was named All-Freshman. Sanford and Van Dyke both earned SoCon Player of the Week honors during the 2009 campaign.
A wild card in the program for only two seasons, Callihan tutored libero Cristin Haines to setting single season Georgia Southern records in 2008 and 2009. Haines tallied 518 digs her first season and 477 in 2009 to rank third and fourth, respectively, in single season digs records.
Callihan joined the Eagles after spending the 2007 campaign as an assistant coach at the University of Georgia. He helped with the Bulldogs’ turnaround, turning a 6-25 record in 2006 to a 17-13 overall mark in 2007.
Coming from a league school, Callihan was no stranger to facing the Eagles and competition in the Southern Conference before arriving at Georgia Southern. Callihan, who led the Appalachian State Mountaineers for four years, posted a .814 league winning percentage (57-13) during his tenure at the SoCon school. The 2004 SoCon ‘Coach of the Year’, Callihan led the Mountaineers to consecutive North Division championships (2003 and 2004), two regular season runner-up finishes and two appearances in the Tournament Championship match (’04 and 2005).
During the 2006 season, ASU recorded its third straight 20-win season going 23-10 overall and 15-3 in the Southern Conference. The 15 wins matched a program record for most league wins, a feat the Mountaineers also accomplished during Callihan’s second year in charge.
In 2005, Callihan coached three All-Southern Conference performers (second-most representatives among any league member) en route to a 23-10 overall record and SoCon North Division title. Also that year two players earned TIAA-CREF Student-Athlete of the Week honors.
Callihan and his 2004 squad turned in a 26-8 record and 15-1 mark in league play. He was named Southern Conference ‘Coach of the Year’, while then-junior Stefanie Panzer became the Mountaineers’ first SoCon ‘Player of the Year’ in 10 seasons. Panzer became the first ASU volleyball player to receive AVCA All-Region and Honorable Mention All-America honors.
The seventh head coach in App State history, he quickly turned that program around. After getting off to a 2-10 start his first year, Callihan and the Mountaineers won 14 of their last 21 matches to finish 16-17 overall and a North Division-best 13-5 record. A victory in the conference tournament marked the program’s first postseason win in six years.
Prior to his time at Appalachian State Callihan worked four years at Radford University, the last two as head coach. The Highlanders posted a 24-7 record and captured the Big South Conference regular season title. That year Radford rattled off 23 consecutive victories, the longest winning streak in the nation, and finished a perfect 14-0 in the BSC. The Highlanders were ranked as high as sixth in the East Region.
Before taking over the head coaching duties Callihan spent two years as an assistant coach, helping the Highlanders capture two Big South Conference championships and a berth in the 2000 NCAA Tournament.
Callihan spent three seasons as the head coach at Radford High School in Radford, Virginia, leading his team to their first regional appearance in 13 years and earned District Coach of the Year honors.
His coaching experience also includes coaching the Yokota Air Base women’s volleyball team in Japan during his four years in the United States Air Force. The squad consisted of former Division I athletes.
A member of the AVCA and USA Volleyball, Callihan has worked throughout his career with Special Olympics and setting up free volleyball clinics.
Callihan and his wife Jess are the parents of two sons: Caleb and Macoy.
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