Eastern Illinois Athletic Director
Tom Michael has announced the hiring of Olympic Gold Medalist Ryan Millar as the Panthers new volleyball head coach.
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Millar becomes the 14h head coach in program history.
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"I am incredibly honored to join Eastern Illinois University as the Head Women's Volleyball Coach. I would like to thank Dr. Jay Gatrell,
Tom Michael and Jenn King for trusting my vision for the program," said Millar. "I am excited to build upon the already established foundation by fostering a culture of excellence, resilience, and teamwork. My passion for developing student-athletes goes behind the game – it's about helping them grow as competitors and as leader in life. I look forward to working with this talented group of athletes, engaging with the EIU community, and striving for championship success on and off the court."
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Millar is considered one of the greatest middle blockers the United States has ever produced in volleyball. He had a playing career that stretched 15 years as a member of the USA Men's National Team including three Olympic Games (Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008). In 2008 he helped lead Team USA to the Olympic Gold, the first for the USA in men's volleyball in 20 years.
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He comes to EIU after serving three seasons as the associate head coach for the San Diego Miramar College men's volleyball program with the team winning back-to-back Pacific Coach Athletic Conference Championships and posting a Top 5 CCCCA ranking. He began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant coach at his alma mater Brigham Young University (BYU) in 2006. He then served as the interim head coach in 2007 with the team producing a 24-6 record. Following that season he returned to the professional playing ranks.
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"In terms of volleyball pedigree, you can not find many more accomplished players than Ryan Millar with his international and Olympic experience," said Michael. " I am excited to welcome him as the new head coach of our volleyball program, but more importantly I'm excited for the young ladies that are in our program. Ryan exudes a championship culture not only from his experience as a coach and player on the volleyball court, but also in his approach to building a team culture and championship environment. He is a winner in every way"
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Millar's playing experience is among the all-time greats in men's volleyball history. He was a four-time All-American playing at BYU earning NCAA Player of the Year honors in 1999 when he led the Cougars to the NCAA National Championship. On the international level Millar played in four World Cups, three World Championships, five World League Finals and four Olympic Qualification Tournaments before retiring from playing in 2012. His career included 12 professional seasons playing in Italy, Turkey, Poland, Russia and Puerto Rico. He was the 2007 USA Volleyball Indoor Male Player of the Year and in 2023 he was inducted into the USA Volleyball Hall of Fame.
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A noted professional speaker he founded the Gold Medal Mindset Consulting Company in 2018 and served as a senior partner with Culture Partners for ten years. Â In addition, he has run his own series of Next Level Volleyball Camps for more than 15 years.Â
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He earned his bachelor's degree from BYU in 2001 and was inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame in 2009. He later earned his master's degree from the Keller School of Graduate Management in 2022.   He and his wife Jackie currently reside in San Diego, Calif.