On Friday, Arizona Athletics and Arizona volleyball will celebrate head coach Dave Rubio's 25 years at Arizona. Over his years at Arizona and beyond, Coach Rubio has established himself as one of the most respected coaches in the nation. His teams' combination of success and class have earned him the admiration of those around the volleyball world and many more.

FORMER COACHES
 
Walt Ker – Coach Rubio's high school and college coach
 
"Since I started coaching Dave in high school 42 years ago, I have never met anyone who has exceeded Dave's passion or commitment to volleyball. As a high school and collegiate player, Dave could never get enough of being in the gym. He was the quintessential gym rat. His love for the sport as a player naturally transformed into his love of coaching.
 
Dave has always had a never-ending curiosity for the sport and coupled with his competitive drive and tremendous teaching skills, he has been a success everywhere he has coached. Dave, it's been my extreme pleasure to watch you go from being the passionate admirer of the game we both love, to the exceptional veteran coach who prepares his team as effectively as any coach in the country!"
 
 
Patti Snyder-Park – Head Coach, Arizona State (1989-2002); California (1984-88)

• Two-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year
• Went to six NCAA Tournaments at ASU

 
"Dave Rubio has proven steady over time that he has a tremendous grasp of what it means to compete hard and maintain progress over time. He has continuously made improvements with his recruited talent and numerous players have gone from great raw athlete to All Pac-10/12 to All-Americans. I have great respect for his work ethic and what he imparts to his loyal coaching staff. They are out in the field and work as hard as any staff, to identify and continue to bring top national talent to Tucson. His teams are consistently competitive at the top 20 level every year, and they are always prepared!
 
With regard to our highly competitive Sun Devil vs. Wildcat matches in the 1990's (always went 5 sets??) we always enjoyed a grinding battle and I always knew we HAD to be ready for his counter moves to change the course of the match. To this day - he masters the art of the adjustment and trains his players hard and fairly. He's been a role model for the Tucson community and still maintains a positive presence throughout the state... even in Tempe! Congrats on the milestone Dave. You've officially become one of the "old dudes" of Volleyball Royalty in AVCA and PAC-12 history. With all respect to a job well done??"
 
 
Don Shaw – Head Coach, Stanford (1984-1999)

• NCAA record holder in career winning percentage (.863)
• Four-time National Champion

 
"I've known Dave beyond his 25 years at Arizona... going back to when he played at CSUN, working my camps at Stanford and then competing against him during quite a few of those years. He's always been a straight-up guy who brought the competitive fire with him all the way. Congrats on your 25, Dave, and continued success down the road!"
 
CURRENT COACHES
 
Jerritt Elliott – Head Coach, Texas (2002-current)
 
"Dave is the one that was responsible for getting me into coaching volleyball. He was one of my mentors when I started coaching and was always great to me. We spent time talking volleyball and playing golf. He is also a good friend of mine and one of the great coaches in our game. He does it the right way and it's great to see all the success he has had. I appreciate everything he has done for me."
 
 
Jen Greeny – Head Coach, Washington State (2011-current)
 
"Dave actually recruited me in 1994 as a high school senior.  Although I didn't end up playing for Dave I always looked up to him and believed he was a fantastic coach.  Now that I coach against him, I know that for a fact he is a more than just a great coach and recruiter.  He is a great mentor, friend and human being.  He is someone that always competes with class and I admire that most about Dave.  Congratulations on 25 outstanding years at the University of Arizona.
 
 
Chris Lamb – Head Coach, Wichita State (2001-current)
 
"Having been on the inside of Wildcat Volleyball, I could speak to Dave's commitment for hours. What I want people on the outside to understand is the good old-fashioned hard work that Dave has shown day in and day out. Back in the early 90s as I was getting to know many of the nation's Division I coaches, there was only one head coach that I witnessed logging thousands of miles and hundreds of hours in his car touring the west coast and looking under every rock for the next great Wildcat volleyball player. As far as I'm concerned, nobody has worked any harder than David."
 
 
Beth Launiere – Head Coach, Utah (1990-current)
 
"Dave has set a standard at Arizona of consistency through the years. He has reached the pinnacle of the Final Four and always has a competitive team, year-in and year-out. Doing anything successfully for 25 years is challenging and he has done it well."
 
 
Dave Shoji – Head Coach, Hawaii (1975-current)
 
"Dave has always been a straight-forward kind of guy. You can trust everything that he says he's going to do. That is a trait that I appreciate about him. He's one of the hardest workers in the coaching ranks and is a solid family man as well. Congratulations Dave!"
 
 
Jeff Stork – Head Coach, Cal State Northridge (2003-current)
 
"Volleyball introduced Dave and me in 1979 at Pierce College. I have known Dave as a player, coach and friend. As a coach he is both tough and compassionate and as a friend he is always there."
 
ARIZONA ATHLETICS
 
Greg Byrne – Director of Athletics
 
"Dave Rubio has been the driving force behind the success of our volleyball program during his 25-year tenure. He's consistently recruited and coached at a high level, while continuing to keep our program competitive in collegiate volleyball's toughest conference. Dave is a wonderful ambassador for Arizona Athletics and conducts himself with integrity. We're lucky to have him as our head volleyball coach and we appreciate everything he has done and continues to do for the program and Arizona Athletics."
 
 
Steve Walker – Head Coach, Beach Volleyball
 
"I can't, and don't want to imagine what my life would have been like had I not met Coach Rubio.  He gave me my start at the collegiate level (as the volunteer assistant coach for his 2000 team) when he didn't really have to.  His staff was well established, but he gave me an opportunity to join his program nonetheless and gave me a role that made me feel as though I was a significant part of the teams' success. Without question he's been and continues to be the biggest influence on me in my professional coaching career.  Dave's been my mentor, but he's so much more than that me and my family. I will always consider and treat Dave like family.  He's simply the best."
 
 
Mike Candrea – Head Coach, Softball
 
"I have enjoyed my relationship with Coach Rubio for the past 25 years. I have admired his ability to recruit great athletes and keep Arizona very competitive in a fiercely competitive Volleyball conference.  I have been blessed to watch Dave grow and evolve as one of the finest coaches in the country. So glad we have been able to keep him at Arizona for so many years and congratulate him on 25 years of dedication to the Arizona Athletic Department and the University of Arizona! Simply one of the best in college volleyball!"