Bill Lang has been coaching volleyball since, well before volleyball was even a sport in Arizona. To clarify, while the girls have been competing for state championships since 1968, the boys have been (officially) at this since 1995.

Lang was part of the original group of Canyon del Oro “Hitmen” that ultimately went on to convince the AIA to make boys’ volleyball a team sport in Arizona. Now, some 25 plus years later, Lang is on the verge of reaching 400 wins coaching the girls at Ironwood Ridge.

Lang is already on the fabled Mt. Rushmore (in terms of wins) of volleyball coaches from Southern Arizona along with Juanita Kington (Rincon/University), Sandy Novak (Sahuaro), Melva Lundy (Canyon del Oro) and Heather Moore-Martin (Green Fields, Catalina & Salpointe). Kingston and Lundy have retired while Novak is still coaching at Sahuaro and Moore-Martin is at Salpointe.

Lundy retired from Canyon del Oro in 2008 just shy of 600 combined wins but she had those boys from CDO in the first state championship game in 1995 and she won it all in 1996.

Kingston also retired in 2008. She played for legendary coach Mary Hines (215-27) at Catalina. If Kingston, Novak, Lundy, Moore-Martin and Lang (I know, there are only four) make up the faces of Mt. Rushmore then Hines is the mountain itself.

Kingston led Catalina to a state championship under Hines in 1972 before moving on to play for the University of Arizona. Kingston’s combined 671 wins puts her at the top for Southern Arizona as does her win total for the girls (455) but Novak and Lang are drawing near.

By the time he is finished, Lang should be the first from Southern Arizona to coach more than 1,000 matches and he should be the first to 700 wins due to the time factor. Novak no longer coaches the girls at Sahuaro (402 wins) so Lang (397) should move past her on that side of the ledger this month.

Moore-Martin also played for Hines at Catalina and then Pima. She also coached at Pima before moving over to Catalina to start the boys program. Oh, and she led the Salpointe Sand Volleyball team to a runner-up finish this past spring.

Pauline Jordan should also get special consideration. The former Sahuaro coach led the Cougars to three state championships. Bobby Nelson led Willcox to four titles and Orland Merrill did the same for St. David.

St. David coach Tylene Miller owns the last state championship from Southern Arizona (2013).

 

Juanita Kingston, Rincon/UHS

671-301 (972)

455: Girls (1 championship & 1 runner-up)

216: Boys (1 runner-up)

 

Sandy Novak, Sahuaro

637-190 (827)

402: Girls (2 runner-up)

235: Boys (1 championship & 1 runner-up)

 

Bill Lang, Ironwood Ridge

615-315 (930)

397: Girls (2 runner-up)

218: Boys

 

Melva Lundy, Canyon del Oro

592-234 (826)

(1 championship with the boys & 3 runner-up with the boys)

(unknown breakdown)

 

Heather Moore-Martin, Green Fields, Catalina & Salpointe

377-146 (523)

163: Girls (1 runner-up)

214: Boys (2 championships)

(1 runner-up finish in Sand Volleyball)

 

SOUTHERN ARIZONA GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIPS
 

Willcox (6)
1975: 2A (Connie Truelove)

1976: 3A (Lois Seibel)
1979: 3A (Bobby Nelson)
1988: 2A (Bobby Nelson)
1989: 2A (Bobby Nelson)
1990: 2A (Bobby Nelson)

 

St. David (6)
1972: 1A (Donald Roylance)
1976: 1A (Orland Merrill)
1982: 1A (Orland Merrill)
1983: 1A (Orland Merrill)
1989: 1A (Orland Merrill)
2013: D-V (Tylene Miller)

 

Sahuaro (5)
1974: 5A (Pauline Jordan)
1975: 5A (Pauline Jordan)
1976: 5A (Pauline Jordan)
1981: 5A (Cherrie Brinlee)
1982: 5A (Cherrie Brinlee)

 

Duncan (3)
1972: 2A (Barbara Stauffer)
1973: 2A (Barbara Stauffer)
1977: 2A (Joe Burnside)

 

Rincon/UHS (3)
1973: 5A (Toni Edwards)
1979: 5A (Toni Edwards)
1993: 4A (Juanita Kingston)

 

Catalina (2)
1972: 5A (Mary Hines)
1983: 5A (Mary Hines)

 

Valley Union (2)
1974: 1A (Joe Burnside)
1985: 1A (Mike Thompson)

 

Benson (1)
2005: 2A (Kimberly East)

 

Bisbee (1)
1977: 3A (Mary Riley)

 

Bowie/San Simon (1)
2007: 1A (Casey Lewis)

 

Flowing Wells (1)
1991: 4A (Ed Nymeyer)

 

Nogales (1)
1975: 3A (Shelley Copeland)

 

Sabino (1)
1989: 4A (Tim Demarchi)

 

San Manuel (1)
1974: 3A (Diane NaDeau)

 

Sunnyside (1)
1990: 4A (Rosa Lara)

 

SOUTHERN ARIZONA BOYS CHAMPIONSHIPS

 

Catalina Foothills (3)
2006: 4A/5A-II (Andrea Fyock)
2007: 4A/5A-II (Andrea Fyock)
2008: 4A/5A-II (David Thistle)

 

Catalina (2)
2010: 4A/5A-II (Heather Moore-Martin)
2011: 4A/5A-II (Heather Moore-Martin)

 

Canyon del Oro (1)
1996: 4A/5A (Melva Lundy)

 

Sahuaro (1)
2009: 4A/5A-II (Sandy Novak)