Built on a long tradition, the 1980 volleyball team was one of the finest volleyball teams ever assembled by the Club. Members included All- Americans, as well as future Olympic gold medalists, coaches, and USA Hall of Famers. It was also the team that finally won The Olympic Club a national championship in volleyball.
In the 1960s, the sport’s growth was ignited by OC and USA Hall of Famer Al Monaco and Kent Dorwin, who were commissioners as well as leaders on the court. The quality of players increased, additional pick-up games played, intramural leagues expanded, and spirited tournaments were played throughout the country. Between 1963 and 1975, the Club finished in the top 10 at the United States Volleyball Association (USVBA) National Championships seven times, highlighted by a second place finish in 1967 and fourth place finish in 1969. The Club finished in the top 10 at the AAU Nationals four times, finishing third in 1967 and 1975.
As the seventies progressed, the Club eyed the big prize, led by a long-time Olympian, the incredibly skilled Tom Krause. Tom was joined by Dave Weston, Tom Duralde (All-American 1978), Robert Dulebon, Mike Stevens, Steve Suttich (All-American 1978) and Craig Johnson, a former AAU National High School Volleyball Champion, who recruited two of his former high school teammates John Bekins and Fred Sturm (both two-time NCAA champions at UCLA). Those teams went on to place fourth and second in 1978 and 1979 before Coach Tom Kasten put together the final touches on the Club’s strongest team yet.
In 1980, Kasten, in his fourth year coaching at the Club, added John Garacochea, Doug Rabe, Mike Blanchard (two-time Pepperdine All-American), Gerald Gregory (future USVBA Hall of Famer), and future 1984 gold medalists Marc Waldie and Dusty Dvorak. The team finished their best season ever with a USVBA National title.
The Olympic Club team breezed through pool play finishing as the top seed for bracket play, then proceeded to the final after a thrashing of BYU 15–9, 15–3 in the semis. Their final match was against Chuck’s Steakhouse, a team from Los Angeles that featured future all-time great and multiple gold medal winner Karch Kiraly; the OC was never threatened, winning 15–8, 15–11. The Olympic Club’s Gerald Gregory was named the tournament’s Outstanding Player.
