Congratulations Coach Bechard
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas defeatead Cleveland State on Friday night with a well-balanced performance. Center stage, however, went to head coach Ray Bechard. In his 30th season overall, and his 17th as the leader of the Jayhawks, Bechard chalked up career win No. 1,000.
A Kansas native, Bechard is the back-to-back defending Big 12 Coach of the Year and the winningest coach in Kansas volleyball history with a career mark of 1,000-279 (284-219 at Kansas). His 716 wins at Barton County Community earned him an induction into the NJCAA Hall of Fame in 1998 – his first season at Kansas. Since then, his 284 wins at Kansas are the second-most among active Big 12 coaches.
“It’s more about good players, more about good coaches,” Bechard said, deferring personal credit for the milestone to those around him. “I’ve always tried to work hard to prepare our team the best we could. That’s what we did against Cleveland State tonight and that’s what we’ll do with Arkansas tomorrow. To be able to coach at your dream school and bring some pride to our athletic department, I think that’s what our volleyball program has done, means a lot.”
Bechard has touched a lot of lives. When the most successful coach in Kansas volleyball history reached a milestone such as this, a few of those lives had something to say.
