Alan Knipe Position: Head Coach

In his nine seasons as the head coach of the Long Beach State 49ers, Alan Knipe's men's volleyball program has reached and sustained a level of excellence and success. Knipe has led the 49ers to two Final Four appearances and eight postseason appearances in nine years that includes a spot in the MPSF tournament finals in four of the last five seasons.

Knipe, in his 17th year with 49ers men's volleyball program(three years as a player, five years as an assistant and nine years as head coach), earned 2008 MPSF Coach of the Year honors and was also named 2008 Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year.

Knipe, who was also named the 2004 AVCA National Coach of the Year, has compiled a 155-89 record, a 63.5 winning percentage.

Knipe coached the USA Men's National Team at the 2008 Pan America Cup in Winnipeg, Canada, and helped lead them to a gold medal. The U.S. men's team defeated Canada 3-1 and included former 49ers Robert Tarr, Tyler Hildebrand and Paul Lotman.

Knipe also coached the 18-and-under Balboa Bay volleyball club, which won a gold medal at the USAV Junior Olympics in Sandy, Utah in early July.

In 2008, with 23 wins, the 49ers finished tied for first place in the MPSF, one of toughest men's volleyball conferences in the nation. The season marked the fourth time in the past five seasons that the 49ers have hit the 20-win plateau.

The 49ers advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament and had a trio of All-Americans--Lotman, Dan Alexander and Dean Bittner. The multiple selections represent the 12th time in 49er history that more than one 49er player has earned AVCA All-America honors in one season. Over the past five years, with Knipe as head coach, the 49ers have gone 107-51 (67.7 percent).

In 2007 Knipe served as the head coach for the United States squad which competed at the World University Games in Bangkok, Thailand. The team, which featured former 49ers Lotman and Tarr, won the bronze medal. The U.S. lost just one match along the way, in the semifinals to eventual gold medalist Turkey.

In 2006, the 49ers went 23-10, were ranked No. 1 in the nation for several weeks and advanced to the championship match of the MPSF Tournament for the third consecutive year. Knipe, again, had a trio of players, Hildebrand, Duncan Budinger and Tarr, earn All-America honors.

In 2005, Knipe helped turn a young squad into one of the best in the nation. With a record of 22-10, the 49ers made it to the finals of the MPSF Tournament.

In 2004, Knipe guided his squad to a 28-7 record and an appearance in the NCAA Championship match in Hawaii. Under Knipe, a total of four players earned All-America distinctions, including three first-team AVCA All-America selections--Hildebrand, Scott Touzinsky and David Lee. Jeff Wootten was a Volleyball Magazine All-America pick.

Knipe is looking for this year's team to build on the success of years past. Even though the 49ers lose quality players, Knipe is a talented recruiter and has brought in some of the nation's top recruiting classes over the past nine years. He announced the signing of four players to National Letter's of Intent during the November signing period and his 1998, 2000 and 2006 classes were considered the best in the nation.

Knipe has also made the important distinction that Long Beach State is the place to play if you want to play volleyball in the Olympics. Three former 49ers, Touzinsky, Lee and Tom Hoff, won Gold Medals in the 2008 Olympics.

Hired on May 30, 2000, Knipe has led the 49ers to seven straight postseason appearances, an MPSF Pacific Division title in 2001 and an NCAA Championship appearance in 2004. Knipe served as the 49ers associate head coach in 2000 and as an assistant coach from 1996-1999.

Knipe has also been the head coach and director of the USA Volleyball Development Camp since 1999.

An All-America collegiate player, Knipe played at Long Beach State under Ray Ratelle from 1990-92. In 1999, Knipe was an assistant to fellow 49er staffer Andy Read on the U.S. Youth Junior National Team.

As a player, Knipe was a major reason why the 49ers advanced to the 1990 NCAA final and won the 1991 NCAA Championship. The 49ers downed USC in the 1991 title match in Honolulu, Hawaii, as Knipe tallied 16 kills, nine digs, eight blocks and hit .636 (16-2-22) as The Beach won in four games over the Trojans.

Knipe received numerous honors during his collegiate career, including all-conference (first-team, 1992), All-America (first-team, 1992; second-team, 1991) and All-NCAA Tournament (1991). His single-season hitting percentage of .433 in 1991 ranks sixth on the all-time Long Beach State list, while his career mark of .412 also ranks sixth.

In the 1994 and 1995 seasons, Knipe served as the head men's volleyball coach at Golden West College, where his teams amassed a two-year match record of 28-14. In his second season the Rustlers won the California State JC title and Knipe was named California State Coach of the Year.

After leaving Long Beach State as a player, Knipe played for the United States National Team in 1992 and 1993, played on the Bud Light 4-Man Pro Beach Volleyball Tour and won seven USVBA National Open Championships (1993, 1994, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2007) with Team Paul Mitchell. In 1993, he was named the United States Volleyball Association Player of the Year. In 1995, Knipe played for Spoleto in the Italian Pro League and in 1996 he played for the Zellik Club in Belgium.

A local product who graduated from Huntington Beach's Marina High School in 1987, Knipe spent one year at Orange Coast College before transferring to Long Beach State.

In October of 2006, Knipe was inducted into the inaugural Long Beach State Men's Volleyball "Wall of Honor," awarded to former players who represented Long Beach State men's volleyball with unparalleled success or achievement.

A 1992 graduate of Long Beach State with a degree in speech communications, Knipe resides with his wife, Jennifer, and their two sons, Aidan and Evan.