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Volleyball coach Walton retires after 24 years at UH

UH athletic director Mack Rhoades announced Wednesday that volleyball head coach Bill Walton had resigned and that a search for a successor would begin immediately.

Walton ends his 24-year tenure at UH with a 458-319 record. He helped the Cougars reach 11 NCAA Tournaments, including an appearance in the 1994 NCAA Elite Eight, and win the 1994 Southwest Conference title.

‘We want to thank Coach Walton for his long-term service with our volleyball program, and we wish him the best in all his future endeavors,’ Rhoades said in a statement. ‘He has been a vital part of this athletics department’s history for well over two decades, and we appreciate his years of dedication to this institution and our student-athletes.’

Unfortunately for Walton, he couldn’t put together a solid season in his final campaign at UH, finishing 9-23.

Walton, who coached Elmhurst College before arriving at UH in 1986, is 668-374 in 29 seasons as a head coach. He led Elmhurst to the NCAA Division II national championship in 1983 and 1985.

‘This career – it shouldn’t be called work – has been my life for 24 years here at the University of Houston,’ Walton said in a statement issued through UH, ‘and it is with great sadness that I leave my team, which has been my family. My staff has been outstanding. Gabi Carbone is the best recruiting coordinator in my 24 years here at Houston, and Alisha McKee is fantastic. She has been my right hand for the past two years.

‘I will miss both of them dearly. But most of all, I will miss my student-athletes, my team.’

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