Indoor Volleyball Hall of Fame to be launched in Anaheim

ANAHEIM — Southern California dominates the history of American volleyball from a Golden State-loaded U.S. team at the first Olympic volleyball tournament in 1964 to the Anaheim-based U.S. men’s and women’s teams capturing bronze medals last month at the Rio Games.

“When you think about volleyball, you think about Southern California,” said Anthony Breeman, Sports Anaheim’s manager of sports events.

Now all that history will have a home.

The 2017 launching of the Southern California Indoor Volleyball Hall of Fame was aounced Wednesday.

The hall will be housed at the American Sports Center in Anaheim, the training base for the U.S. men’s team since 2006, the U.S. women since 2009.

“I’m excited about something like this just because Southern California having such a special history,” said three-time Olympic champion Karch Kiraly, the U.S. women’s national team coach.

Kiraly is one 42 finalists for the hall’s 25 charter members. The initial class will be aounced at an induction ceremony May 7 at the Highway 39 Event Center.

“Having an indoor Hall of Fame to honor the top volleyball players from the Southern California area is something that is long overdue,” said Mike Gallups, ASC president and chairman of the hall’s board of directors.

The project is being underwritten by ASC and Sports Anaheim, which is part of Visit Anaheim, formerly the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau

Kiraly said he was especially pleased that the hall will provide a vehicle to honor the pioneers “behind this great, rich tradition of Southern California volleyball.”

“Lots of people who were part of the early attempts to help USA be great internationally and all of us stand on their shoulders and all the work they put into to being great ambassadors for USA,” Kiraly said. “Being great national team players in those early Olympics and that tradition continues.”