Nebraska Athletics to dedicate John Cook statue on Thursday

LINCOLN, Neb. - The Nebraska Athletic Department will dedicate a statue to legendary Nebraska Volleyball Head Coach John Cook on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 5:30 p.m.

The statue dedication ceremony will take place on the north side of the Bob Devaney Sports Center, near the bottom of the pedestrian ramp. Seating is reserved for invited guests with limited standing room available. Media are invited to attend, and there will be designated area for members of the media. The ceremony will be streamed on social media channels.

Speakers at the 1-hour event will include University of Nebraska President Jeffrey Gold, Nebraska Director of Athletics Troy Dannen, Nebraska Volleyball Head Coach Dani Busboom Kelly and Cook. There will be photo opportunities and media availability following the conclusion of the ceremony.

Cook announced his retirement on Jan. 29, 20025 after 25 seasons as Nebraska's head coach. Overall, Cook spent 32 years as a college head coach - seven at Wisconsin and 25 at Nebraska.

Consistent excellence was a hallmark of Cook’s Nebraska teams. Since taking over the program in 2000, Cook guided the Huskers to four national championships, 12 NCAA Semifinals appearances, nine Big 12 titles and five Big Ten titles. He achieved a career record of 883-176 (.834), the fifth-best winning percentage all-time for a Division I volleyball coach. Cook's record of 722-103 at Nebraska was the best winning percentage (.875) for any DI program from 2000-24.

With Cook at the helm, Nebraska produced numerous individual honors, including five Olympians, a Honda-Broderick Cup winner, three AVCA Division I National Players of the Year, 72 AVCA All-Americans, three Academic All-Americans of the Year, 25 Academic All-Americans and 10 conference players of the year. Nebraska volleyball student-athletes combined for 88 all-conference awards and 155 academic all-conference honors in Cook's program.