Karch Kiraly facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Charles Kiraly |
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| 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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| Current team | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Indoor volleyball information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Outside hitter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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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 as one of the greatest male volleyball players ever. Karch Kiraly is the only person, male or female, to win Olympic gold medals in both indoor and beach volleyball. He also coached the U.S. Women's National Team to their first-ever Olympic gold medal in 2021.
Kiraly was a key player for the U.S. National Team. He helped them win gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games. Later, he won another gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games. This was the first time beach volleyball was an Olympic sport. He played college volleyball for the UCLA Bruins, winning three national championships.
Kiraly was the head coach of the United States women's national volleyball team. He led them to a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This made him the first person to win Olympic gold as a player in both indoor and beach volleyball, and as a coach.
Contents
Early Life and First Spikes
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 played for the Hungarian Junior National team before moving to the U.S.
When Karch was 11, he played in his first beach volleyball tournament with his dad. He loved being able to compete with adults. In high school, Karch played on the boys' varsity volleyball team. His father helped create this program at the school.
Karch's high school 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 credits his high school coach, Rick Olmstead, for teaching him about hard work.
His Hungarian nickname was Karcsi, which means Charles. Later, at UCLA, people started calling him Karch.
College Volleyball Success
In 1978, Kiraly started college at UCLA. He studied biochemistry and played on the Bruins' volleyball team. He played as an outside hitter and setter.
Under coach Al Scates, Kiraly led UCLA to the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship in his first year (1979). In his four years, the Bruins had an amazing record of 123 wins and only 5 losses. They won national titles in 1979, 1981, and 1982. They even went undefeated in 1979 and 1982.
Kiraly was named an All-American all four years. He was also the NCAA Volleyball Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 1981 and 1982. He graduated from UCLA in 1983 with a degree in biochemistry.
Karch was inducted into the UCLA Hall of Fame in 1992. His jersey number was retired in 1993. He was named the best volleyball player of the 20th century by the FIVB.
Playing for the U.S. National Team
Kiraly joined the U.S. National Team in 1981. He was an excellent passer and defender as an outside hitter. He helped the team win the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics. They beat Brazil in the finals. Kiraly was the youngest player on that gold medal-winning team.
The U.S. National Team continued to be 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, defeating the USSR. Kiraly was a captain for the 1988 team. The FIVB named him the top player in the world in 1986 and 1988.
After the 1988 Olympics, Kiraly left the national team. He played professional volleyball in Italy for two seasons. His team won several titles, including the Italian League and the CEV Champions League.
Beach Volleyball Career
Kiraly had a very long and successful career in professional beach volleyball. He holds the record for the most career tournament wins, with 148 titles. 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 earned high ratings in beach volleyball by the time he was 17. In 1978, at 17, he reached the finals of a big tournament in Hermosa Beach.
In 1992, Kiraly started playing beach volleyball full-time on the AVP tour. He teamed up with Kent Steffes. They quickly became the top team on the tour. In 1996, Kiraly and Steffes won the gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics. This was the first time men's beach volleyball was an Olympic sport.
Kiraly continued to win tournaments even into his 40s. His last victory was in August 2005. He retired from the AVP tour after the 2007 season. Over his career, Kiraly won over $3 million in prize money.
Broadcasting and Coaching
After his playing career, Kiraly worked as a broadcaster for ESPN and NBC Sports. He provided commentary for volleyball events, including the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Kiraly began coaching at St. Margaret's Episcopal School, where he coached his sons. Later, he became an assistant coach for the United States women's national volleyball team. He helped them win a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
In 2012, Kiraly became the head coach of the U.S. Women's National Volleyball team. In October 2014, he led the team to win the FIVB World Championship. This made him one of only a few people to win a World Championship gold medal as both a player and a coach.
At the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Kiraly coached the U.S. women to a bronze medal. In 2021, he coached the U.S. women's indoor team to win the FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League championship.
On August 8, 2021, at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Kiraly coached the U.S. women to a gold medal. This made him the second person ever to win an Olympic gold medal as both a player and a coach.
Personal Life
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.
Kiraly shared that he was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2017. He had surgery to remove part of his colon. He kept this private from his team until he was in remission in 2021. He didn't want to distract them during their training for the Olympics.
Awards and Honors
Karch Kiraly has received many awards and honors throughout his career:
College Achievements
- NCAA National Champion (1979, 1981, 1982)
- NCAA Volleyball Tournament Most Outstanding Player (1981, 1982)
- UCLA Hall of Fame (inducted 1992)
International and Professional Awards
- FIVB Best Player in the World (1986, 1988)
- FIVB Best Player of the 20th Century
- AVP Most Valuable Player (1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998)
- Olympic Games Gold Medal (1984, 1988, 1996)
- World Cup Gold Medal (1985)
- World Championship Gold Medal (1986)
- Italian Championship (1990/1991)
- Club World Cup (1991)
- European Champions Cup (1991/1992)
Hall of Fame Inductions
- Volleyball Hall of Fame (inducted 2001)
- American Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame (inducted 2005)
- U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame (inducted 2008)
See also
In Spanish: Karch Kiraly para niños
