PLAINVIEW, TX – Legendary Wayland Baptist volleyball head coach Jim Giacomazzi has announced he is stepping down from his coaching position to focus on his role as the university’s Director of Athletics.
"The support I've had from Dr. Bobby Hall and Dr. Claude Lusk helped me grow, not only as a person and coach, but also as an administrator," Giacomazzi said. "Their guidance has been very helpful, and all of these administrators’ passion for the university was very well known."
Giacomazzi took over as head coach of the Pioneer volleyball program in 2007 and immediately found success. Over 18 seasons, he compiled a 344-251 overall record, the most wins in program history by a margin of 240 (Brad Borden ranks second with 104). He also served as the Pioneer golf coach in two separate stints.
His 2013 squad made history as the greatest team in Wayland Baptist volleyball history, earning the program’s first NAIA tournament appearance and advancing to the Final Four. Giacomazzi led the team to two Sooner Athletic Conference regular-season titles and three SAC Tournament championships.
During his tenure, he won NAIA Tournament Coach of the Year once, Sooner Athletic Conference Coach of the Year once, and coached seven All-Americans and 23 NAIA Scholar-Athletes.
While at West Texas A&M, Trisha served as Giacomazzi’s assistant coach, and together they guided the team to the 1991 NCAA Division II National Championship, followed by a third-place finish in 1992.
Before his coaching career, Giacomazzi was drafted in the 16th round of the Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft by the San Diego Padres. He played professional baseball within the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs organizations from 1981 to 1983 before transitioning to coaching.
His coaching career began as a student assistant at Azusa Pacific University, where he later became an assistant coach. During his tenure, Azusa won the 1979 AIAW Small College National Championship and the 1980 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship—the first year the NAIA hosted a women’s national championship.
In 1983, he took on his first head coaching role when Azusa’s Director of Athletics asked him to lead the school’s baseball team. After a challenging 3-17 start, Giacomazzi’s squad won 26 of its final 28 games, finishing as NAIA National Baseball Championship runners-up.
An active member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, Giacomazzi has served on the board of directors for the past five years, including as chair of the Head Coaches Committee. He is also a board member and Junior Rep for the Sun Country Region of USA Volleyball and holds a CAP III Certification with USA Volleyball.
Wayland Baptist Athletics has announced that a nationwide search will begin immediately to find the next head volleyball coach.
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