Rick Olmstead

Rick Olmstead’s volleyball coaching career stretched across two decades and brought championship titles to Santa Barbara High School and Santa Barbara City College.

The Carpinteria native was Santa Barbara High’s first volleyball coach and famously coached the great Karch Kiraly and the Dons to a CIF title in 1978 and won a State Championship with SBCC in 1983.

Kiraly, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and generally regarded as the sport’s best player, currently coaches the USA Women’s National Team and credits Olmstead for being a major influence.  “I learned a ton from Rick Olmstead, an incredible coach,” Karch Kiraly once told local sportswriter John Zant.  “I’ve written a few of his sayings up on the white board, like: ‘Excuses are like armpits; everybody’s got them and they all stink.’ Sometimes he used a different word from armpits.  If we were not playing to the level he thought we were capable of playing, he would get us to realize that even if the other team wasn’t that good, we can’t lower ourselves.  He’s been influence in terms of trying to be the best prepared team.”

Olmstead’s cumulative record at Santa Barbara High and SBCC was 347 wins against 125 losses.

Olmstead’s coaching career began in Hawaii soon after graduating from BYU-Hawaii with a degree in sociology.  His first job was at Kahuku High School in 1972, followed by one year leading BYU-Hawaii in 1973.  He then returned to Carpinteria High School, where he had graduated in 1964, as a teacher.  He was an assistant coach for Warriors’ football and basketball teams before taking the job with the Dons.

Olmstead is extremely well connected in the volleyball community having served as a referee for approximately 1,800 college matches since 1975.  He became a regular referee at pro beach volleyball events starting in 1985.

Olmstead’s family includes wife Trudy and eight children: Ginger, Laci, Shawn, Heather, Nicole, Karalee, and Brooke.  His son, Shawn, played at BYU and became the head coach of BYU’s women’s team in 2011.  Heather played at Utah State and now is an assistant on the coaching staff at BYU.