Former Husker Volleyball Coach Among 2020 Inductees To NU Athletic Hall of Fame

LINCOLN–(NU Athletics Mar. 31)–Five distinguished student-athletes and one legendary head coach make up the 2020 University of Nebraska Athletic Hall of Fame class, who will be announced individually over the next three weeks.

The first announced member of this year’s class is Terry Pettit, who coached the Nebraska volleyball team for 23 seasons from 1977 to 1999. Pettit is the lone coach in the 2020 Hall of Fame class, and he is the fourth coach to be enshrined in the Nebraska Athletic Hall of Fame, joining football coaches Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne and men’s gymnastics head coach Francis Allen.

Pettit was not only one of the greatest volleyball coaches in NCAA history, he was also instrumental in building a Husker program that ranks among the top three programs in NCAA history in NCAA Tournament appearances (3rd – 38), NCAA Tournament wins (2nd – 116) and NCAA championships (3rd – 5). Pettit was also the driving force behind cultivating Nebraska’s loyal fan base, which has sold out 270 consecutive regular-season matches and has led the nation in attendance each of the last seven seasons.

In his 23-year career, Pettit led Nebraska to 21 conference titles and the 1995 national championship. He was a two-time national and nine-time conference coach of the year. His .820 career winning percentage (694-148-12) ranks seventh among all coaches in NCAA Division I history. In 2009, he was inducted into the American Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

The five student-athletes in the 2020 Nebraska Athletic Hall of Fame Class will be announced over the next three weeks on the official Nebraska Athletics Twitter account (@Huskers) and on Huskers.com.

Terry Pettit, Volleyball Head Coach (1977-99)

Terry Pettit is the fourth coach to be inducted into the Nebraska Athletic Hall of Fame. Pettit led the Nebraska volleyball program for 23 years from 1977 to 1999. During his tenure, Pettit not only laid the foundation for one of the most successful volleyball programs in NCAA history, he also grew Husker volleyball into one of the most popular female sports in collegiate athletics. Pettit posted a 694-148-12 record in his 23 seasons, ranking seventh in NCAA Division I history in career winning percentage (.820). He guided the Huskers to 21 conference titles, six NCAA Semifinal appearances and the 1995 national championship. Pettit also recruited and coached much of the 2000 roster that went a perfect 34-0 en route to winning the program’s second national title one year after his retirement. A 2009 inductee into the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Hall of Fame, Pettit was a two-time AVCA National Coach of the Year (1986, 1994) and a nine-time conference coach of the year, winning the honor seven times in the Big Eight Conference and twice in the Big 12 Conference. Individually, Pettit coached two national players of the year and four CoSIDA Academic All-Americans of the Year, while his players combined to total 35 All-America awards, 19 Academic All-America certificates and 12 conference player-of-the-year honors.