The AVCA is saddened to learn of the passing of renowned volleyball coach and educator Jim Stone.

The AVCA Hall of Fame member lost his battle with cancer early this morning. His service will be held Tuesday, March 17, at Bohlender Funeral Chapel in Fort Collins, CO, starting at 10 a.m.

Jim began his full-time coaching career with the University of Wyoming women’s team in 1979. He took over the program at Ohio State in 1982 and served as the Buckeye head coach through the 2007 season, leading them to 531 wins across 26 seasons. He had spent the last two decades working with USA Volleyball, particularly the youth National teams, as well as giving back to the sport as a clinician, trainer, and writer.

“Jim was one of the rare people in coaching who truly embodied the idea of being a lifelong learner,” said AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon. “He never positioned himself as someone who had it all figured out. If anything, he was always the one asking the questions. His humility, especially after decades of success, is remarkable. It’s easy to chase wins, but it’s much harder to keep chasing growth.”

Jim was around sports all his life. He was a standout high school athlete in Michigan, and he went to Kellogg Community College, first playing basketball and then finding volleyball. His dad, a teacher and athletics administrator, had hoped Jim would transfer to Ball State to play basketball. Jim did become a Cardinal, but he chose volleyball instead.

“Him going to Ball State and playing for an excellent teacher in Don Shondell was very formative,” said Linda Grensing Crum, who was an assistant under Jim at Ohio State from 1992-95 and had remained a close friend since. “Don was a master tactician, and Jim really soaked it all up. He learned a lot during his Ball State days, and it lit a fire and set Jim on a path.”

Jim returned to Kellogg CC, where he got his first taste of coaching as a volleyball volunteer assistant under Mick Haley. He then went out on his own to pursue coaching and teaching, becoming well-known for his work at camps, including with Haley’s Sports Camps International venture.

“At those camps, we worked alongside a lot of the best coaches of the time—Don Shondell, Doug Beal, Russ Rose, Jim Peterson, Bill Walton and more,” said Haley. “After the day ended, we’d sit around over dinner and talk late into the evening about the sport and strategies and techniques, and Jim was a sponge.”

Those early experiences fueled the passion he had for learning and teaching that only increased throughout the rest of his career. Grensing Crum recalls Jim inviting a lot of coaches—including one from China—to watch Ohio State’s practices, mostly so he could pick their brains.

She said: “He’d always sit down with them and ask ‘What can we change?’ and ‘How can we improve?’ That’s a great example of Jim: he always felt it was valuable to get other perspectives, and he never felt he knew it all.”

When he stepped back from Ohio State and his USA Volleyball coaching responsibilities, he focused his efforts on teaching, which took many forms. Jim started a consulting business, and he was in demand as a trainer and featured speaker at clinics. He also did a lot of work with The Art of Coaching, where he produced dozens of training videos.

In more recent years, his desire to share led him to produce an online newsletter and write a training e-book: “A Game Plan for Better Practices,” which Haley calls “The Volleyball Bible.”

“Jim continued to help others to become better teachers/coaches through his articles and then his outstanding e-book.” said Haley. “He was so well read, and I admired how he worked hard to stay current, which was reflected in how he could still relate to today’s players and coaches.”

The AVCA has plans to memorialize Jim’s teaching and educational legacy. More details on that will be forthcoming.

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Jim Stone tributes:

“What have I learned from Jim? Everything. How to train; how to teach; how to keep growing in the sport. As an athlete in his program, what immediately impressed me was his knowledge of the game, attention to detail, and ability to make changes to adapt. There have been so many moments when I realize how his training and teaching has molded my coaching philosophy. It was clear that Jim was the ultimate student of the game, and that mindset helped him to have such a great impact.” —Jen Flynn Oldenburg

“I coached against Jim for over 25 years in the Big Ten, and his teams were always competitive, well trained, and not afraid of the moment. The contributions he has made to player development and coaching education and accreditation highlights his commitment to giving back. From coaching USA teams and various club teams, he always treated people, and the game, with respect.” —Russ Rose

“Jim was a key person for The Art of Coaching, as he created both our Level I and Level II AOC-VB Coaching Certifications. He was a presenter at our live and virtual clinics, and he also developed many virtual offerings since we started in 2011. His efforts have been invaluable in the growth of our company, and he’s added many positive insights.” —Terry Liskevych

“I admire everything about Jim. His impact is immeasurable throughout all facets of his career: from his coaching and clinic presentations to his player-training and coaching with USA Volleyball to all the writing he did to share his knowledge with others.” —Mick Haley

“Jim is a guy who just plain loved the sport of volleyball. That love led to a fascination and curiosity that was insatiable; He studied every nuance, dug into every statistic, questioned every assumption. Even when he is gone, his online teaching will impact volleyball for years to come leaving a lasting legacy.” —Kathy DeBoer

 “After retiring from Ohio State, Jim didn’t step away from the game—he stepped toward it. He continued giving back through his work with USA Volleyball, which is where I worked alongside him. His impact there was tangible. He brought his expertise and experience to the best of the best in USA youth volleyball, and I’m grateful to have spent time learning from Jim throughout my career.” —Erin Virtue

 “Jim was always a great teacher and trainer. He continued to teach on several different platforms and always sought to connect the international game with the game in the USA. He was a true difference maker in our sport in so many ways.” —John Cook

“Jim had a huge impact on my life! I have known him for more than two decades through our work together with USA Volleyball, with the Art of Coaching, and coaching clinics. He had the unique gift of treating every person he met with respect, and he taught me that people won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. He was humble, kind, and always put everyone else first.” —Melissa Wolter

“Right away, one thing stood out to me about Jim: he was a coach who could really teach. That made him a unicorn, because I was used to seeing ones who could either coach or teach, but rarely both. He was a teacher to the end with his newsletters and his book, and he adapted to using video and new technology as the best way to offer instruction.” —Linda Grensing Crum

“One of the things I admire the most was Jim’s on-going service to the game, and that made him unique. He continued to be one of the pioneers of teaching and growing the game in this country through his coaching blogs, videos, Art of Coaching seminars, and his service with USA Volleyball.” —Cathy George