Karch Kiraly facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Karch Kiraly |
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Charles Frederick Kiraly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Karch | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | November 3, 1960 Jackson, Michigan, U.S. |
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| Hometown | Santa Barbara, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College(s) | UCLA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Indoor volleyball information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Outside hitter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Charles Frederick "Karch" Kiraly (born November 3, 1960) is a famous American volleyball player, coach, and sports announcer. He is known for being the only player ever to win Olympic gold medals in both indoor and beach volleyball.
Karch was a key player for the United States men's national volleyball team. He helped them win gold at the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games. Later, he won another gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games, which was the first time beach volleyball was an Olympic sport. He played college volleyball for the UCLA Bruins, where his teams won three national championships. Many people think Kiraly is the greatest male volleyball player of all time.
Today, Kiraly is the head coach of the United States women's national volleyball team. He led them to their first-ever gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This made him achieve a "triple crown" – winning Olympic gold as a player in both indoor and beach volleyball, and as a coach.
Contents
Karch Kiraly's Early Life and Start in Volleyball
Karch Kiraly grew up in Santa Barbara, California. He started playing volleyball when he was just six years old. His father, Laszlo Kiraly, encouraged him. Laszlo had been a member of the Hungarian Junior National team.
At age 11, Karch played in his first beach volleyball tournament with his father. In high school, Karch played for the Santa Barbara High School boys' varsity volleyball team. His father helped create this program. Karch's team reached the championship game twice. In his senior year (1978), his team went undefeated and won the CIF SS title. Karch was named Sectional Player of the Year. He also played for the Junior National Team for three years.
Karch's original Hungarian nickname was Karcsi (pronounced Karch-ee). This name is related to the Hungarian name Karoly, which means Charles. Later, when he was at UCLA, people started calling him Karch.
College Volleyball Star at UCLA
In 1978, Kiraly went to UCLA. He studied biochemistry there. He played as an outside hitter and setter for the Bruins' volleyball team. Under coach Al Scates, Karch led UCLA to win the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship in his first year (1979).
The Bruins reached the finals again in his second year. They lost to their rivals, USC. But UCLA won the championship again in Karch's junior and senior years (1981 and 1982). During his four years, the Bruins had an amazing record of 123 wins and only 5 losses. They were undefeated in 1979 and 1982. Karch was named an All-American all four years. He also won the NCAA Volleyball Tournament Most Outstanding Player award in 1981 and 1982.
Karch earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry from UCLA in 1983. He graduated with high honors. In 1992, Kiraly was added to the UCLA Hall of Fame. His jersey number was retired in 1993.
Winning Gold with Team USA (Indoor Volleyball)
Karch Kiraly joined the U.S. National Team in 1981. He played as an outside hitter and was known for his strong passing skills. He helped create a new "two-man" serve reception system. Karch was also an excellent defender and a powerful hitter.
He led the U.S. National Team to a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics. They beat Brazil in the finals. Karch was the youngest player on that gold medal-winning team. The U.S. team proved they were the best in the world. They won the 1985 FIVB Men's World Cup and the 1986 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship.
At the 1988 Summer Olympics, the team won their second Olympic gold medal. They defeated the USSR in the final match. Karch was chosen as a captain for the 1988 team. The FIVB named Kiraly the top player in the world in both 1986 and 1988.
After the 1988 Olympics, Karch left the national team. He played professional volleyball in Italy for Il Messaggero Ravenna from 1990 to 1992. His team won several titles, including the Italian Volleyball League, the Italian Cup, the FIVB Club World Championship, and the CEV Champions League.
Dominating Beach Volleyball
Karch Kiraly had a very long and successful career in professional beach volleyball. He has won more tournaments than any other player in the sport's history, with 148 wins. He won at least one tournament in 24 of the 28 seasons he played. He won titles with 13 different partners.
Karch played in his first beach tournament at age 11 with his father. He loved that he could compete with grown men. He earned high ratings in beach volleyball by age 17. His first big success came in 1978 at Hermosa Beach. As a 17-year-old, he reached the finals with his partner Marco Ortega.
In 1992, Kiraly stopped playing indoor volleyball. He returned to the U.S. to play beach volleyball full-time on the AVP tour. He chose Kent Steffes as his partner. Kiraly and Steffes quickly became the top team on the tour.
In 1996, Karch returned to the Olympics. This time, he competed in beach volleyball with Kent Steffes. They won the gold medal. This was the first gold medal ever given for men's beach volleyball.
Kiraly continued to win tournaments even into his 40s. His last victory was in August 2005 with his partner Mike Lambert. Karch retired from the AVP tour after the 2007 season. Over his career, he won over $3 million in prize money.
From Player to Coach: Leading Team USA
Karch Kiraly started his coaching career at St. Margaret's Episcopal High School. He coached his sons, Kristian and Kory, there.
Later, Hugh McCutcheon, the head coach of the United States women's national volleyball team, hired Karch as an assistant. Karch helped coach the team to a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
In 2012, Kiraly became the head coach of the US National Women's Volleyball team. In October 2014, he coached the team to win the FIVB World Championship. They defeated China in the final. This made Karch the fourth person ever to win a World Championship gold medal as both a player and a coach.
At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Karch coached the US women to a bronze medal. This made him the fourth player to win Olympic medals as both a player and a coach.
In 2021, Karch coached the women's indoor USA team to win the FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League championship in Italy. On August 8, 2021, at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, Kiraly coached the US women to a gold medal. This made him the second person to win an Olympic gold medal as both a player and a coach.
Karch Kiraly's Life Outside the Court
Karch Kiraly lives in Heber City, Utah, with his wife, Janna, and their two sons, Kristian and Kory. His father, Laszlo Kiraly, played for the Hungarian junior national volleyball team. Karch studied biochemistry in college and thought about becoming a doctor.
Interestingly, Karch Kiraly used to babysit Misty May-Treanor when she was a child. Misty May-Treanor later became a very famous beach volleyball player herself.
Amazing Awards and Honors
Karch Kiraly has received many awards and honors throughout his career:
- College
- NCAA National Champion (1979, 1981, 1982)
- NCAA Volleyball Tournament Most Outstanding Player (1981, 1982)
- UCLA Hall of Fame (inducted 1992)
- Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB: International Federation of Volleyball)
- FIVB Best Player in the World (1986, 1988)
- FIVB Best Player of the 20th Century
- American Volleyball Professionals (AVP Professional Beach Volleyball)
- AVP Best Offensive Player (1990, 1993, 1994)
- AVP Best Defensive Player (2002)
- AVP Most Valuable Player (1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998)
- AVP Sportsman of the Year (1995, 1997, 1998)
- Other Honors
- NORCECA Championship (1983, 1985)
- Olympic Games Gold Medalist (1984, 1988, 1996)
- MVP Olympic Games (1988)
- World Cup (1985)
- MVP World Cup (1985)
- World Championship (1986)
- Pan American Games (1987)
- Italian Championship (1990/1991)
- Club World Cup (1991)
- MVP Club World Cup (1991)
- European Champions Cup (1991/1992)
- European Super Cup (1991)
Karch Kiraly was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2001. He was also inducted into the American Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2005 and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2008.
See also
In Spanish: Karch Kiraly para niños
