Quick Facts:

Born: November 2, 1957
Height: 5’9”
Position: Outside Hitter
College: Houston/North Texas State
USA Olympic Teams: Indoor – 1984 (Silver)

Overview:

Rita Crockett is known as one of the best all-around players in women's volleyball history. She played outside hitter and led the American team to its first Olympic gold medal. She went on to have a successful career on the beach and indoor playing professionally both in the U.S.


and abroad. She is a member of the Volleyball Hall of Fame.

Olympics:

Crockett was a member of the 1980 Olympic team but was not allowed to compete there due to the American boycott on the Moscow Games for political reasons. The U.S. was favored to win the gold in 1980. She was able to compete in the 1984 Olympic Games and along with Debbie Green, Flo Hyman and Rose Magers among others, she helped lead her team to a silver medal, the first medal for the American women's team. She was considered one of the best all-around volleyball players in the world. Sports Illustrated touted her as the world's best athlete and dubbed her "The Rocket" because she had a 42-inch vertical leap, could dunk a basketball and her kills registered at 100 miles-per-hour.

Professional:

Crockett was a member of the Daiei Team in Kobe, Japan from 1982-1986 and with that squad in 1986 she won the Japan League Championship. She played in the short-lived Major League Volleyball professional league from 1986-87. She won titles with her MVL team in 1986 and 1987 and was named league MVP in 1986.

From 1988 until 1993, Crockett played in Matera, Italy and Rome, Italy. She was voted the MVP of the Italian League in 1991 and her 1993 Rome team won the European Championship. She had a dual role of head coach and player in Switzerland for RTV Basel. During her time with them, she won the Swiss Cup from 1994-1996 and was named MVP four times.

Beach:

Crockett had a successful career on the beach as well. She was the first African-American to win a beach volleyball World Championship. She won in 1989 with Jackie Silva and placed second the following year with Angela Rock. She played four seasons for the Women's Professional Volleyball Association (WPVA) and two seasons for the AVP, winning a total of nearly $90,000. She played with a variety of partners including Patty Dodd, Linda Hanley, Nancy Reno, Linda Chisholm, Holly McPeak, Nina Matthies and Jeanne Reeves. Her experience as a beach volleyball player are second to none as she was a world beach champion for the WPVA (Women's Professional Volleyball Association) Tour, partnering with the first-ever Olympic Gold medalist Jackie Silva in 1989, and finishing as runner-up in 1990.

Coaching:

Crockett spent six seasons at the University of Iowa, where she coached three All-Big Ten selections. In 2000, she and her coaching staff guided the Hawkeyes to 15-wins, which is the most victories that an Iowa volleyball team has garnered since 1994. She spent two seasons as the associate head coach at Florida State, during which the volleyball team compiled a record of 31-28. Crockett also runs her own camps, the Rita Crockett Volleyball Camps & Clinics. She served as executive director, president and head coach of the North Florida Volleyball Association. She is currently the Assistant Athletic Director and Sand Volleyball Coach at FIU.

Extras:

• Member of the Volleyball Hall of Fame Class of 2011
• One of six players selected to the All-World Team in 1986
• Led the U.S. to a bronze medal at the World Cup in Osaka, Japan in 1981
• Led U.S. to a bronze medal at the World Championships in Lima, Peru in 1982
• Crockett received her bachelors degree in liberal studies/communications from the University of Iowa in August of 2002