Meet Head Coach Charlie Sullivan

Charlie Sullivan will enter his 11th season as head coach of the men's volleyball team in 2009. He will also once again be an assistant professor of physical education at his alma mater. In 10 previous years at the helm, Charlie has an overall record of 139-114 for a .549 winning percentage.

Sullivan recently led the Pride to its fifth national championship as Springfield toppled Vassar in three games in front of a packed Blake Arena. He previously guided the Pride to three straight Molten Division III National Championships from 2001-03. SC's five national championships are tied for most the by any other Division III program in the country. Sullivan was named the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Coaches Association (EIVA) Division III Coach of the Year all four of his championship seasons.

Sullivan’s coaching career at the college ranks began in 1997 as an assistant on the Springfield team that won the inaugural Molten Championship. In 1998, Sullivan became the head coach at Marycrest International University in Davenport, Iowa, and was instrumental in the development of the first National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Men’s Volleyball Championship that was held at Marycrest. During that year, Sullivan headed the NAIA National Championship committee and chaired the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) Conference.

Aside from his duties at SC, Sullivan was an assistant coach for the USA Junior National Team that competed at the Norceca Championship in Kelowna, British Columbia, in 2002 and 2004. Sullivan’s other coaching credentials include an internship with the USA Men’s National Team in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and a four-year stint as head boys’ and girls’ volleyball coach at Marymount International School in Rome, Italy. He was also a member of the staff at the USA Men’s Volleyball Developmental and High-Performance Camps, and coached with the Youth National Team in Lake Placid, N.Y.

In 2001, Sullivan was selected by USA Athletes International to coach a United States team that traveled to Darwin, Australia, to compete in the Arafura Games. After falling in the Gold Medal round, the team won the Bronze Medal match against the South Australian Adelaide team.

During the fall of 2005, Sullivan coached with Feffe DeGiorgi and the Marcerata Volleyball Club, a top professional league in Italy. He had the opportunity to work with some of the top international players such as Ivan Miljkovic of Serbia, Angel Dennis of Cuba, and Rodrigo Santana of Brazil.

USA Volleyball invited Sullivan to train with junior and youth national head coach Hugh McCutcheon during the 2005 winter training session at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Coach McCutcheon then selected Sullivan to run the USA Volleyball High Performance camp in the Summer of 2005, in California, for the 25 top male 14, 15, and 16 year old players in the country.

In the fall of 2007, Sullivan rejoined the U.S. National Team as an assistant coach as the squad traveled to Japan for the 2007 FIVB World Cup. Sullivan was also named the head coach for the 2008 USA Select A1 Camp and Competition, which will be held in Tucson, Arizona, in the summer of 2008. The 2008 USA Boys’ Select A1 Camp and Competition consists of 40 of the top 15 and 16 year olds in the country.

Sullivan is a member of the EIVA Executive Committee, is the Division III Representative to the AVCA, and is one of only 10 coaches who vote in the Division III national poll. He is also an assistant professor in sports psychology at SC, and co-wrote the curriculum for sports physics for physical education majors.

Sullivan was named to the Volleyball Hall of Fame Board of Directors in 1999 and has participated in the NCAA “Youth Education Through Sports” (YES) Clinics held in conjunction with NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championships. He has also presented at AVCA coaches' clinics, and published articles in Coaching Volleyball and in Volleyball magazine.

Sullivan earned his bachelor’s degree in business management from Springfield College in 1991 and his master’s degree in physical education from SC in 1997.

Sullivan's Coaching Record at Springfield College

Year	Wins	Losses
1999	10	9
2000	17	10
2001	8	15
2002	20	9
2003	22	8
2004	7	16
2005	6	15
2006	10	15
2007	19	10
2008	20	7
Totals	139	114
.549 Winning % (10 years)

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Head Coach Charlie Sullivan

With four national championships to his credit, Charlie Sullivan will enter his 11th season as head coach of the men's volleyball team in 2009. In 10 previous years at the helm, Sullivan owns an overall record of 139-114 for a .549 winning percentage. Read more.

Contact Head Coach Charlie Sullivan

E-Mail | Phone: 413.748.3850

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Springfield College 263 Alden Street, Springfield, MA 01109-3797 413.748.3000