Jan. 30, 2009
SAN DIEGO - Deitre Collins-Parker, a two-time national collegiate player of the year whose resume includes stints at a pair Division I schools the past 13 seasons, has been named the head volleyball coach at San Diego State, Aztec athletic director Jeff Schemmel announced today. She becomes just the fourth head coach since the Aztecs began collegiate play in 1976. She replaces Mark Warner, who retired at the end of the 2008 campaign after 13 years at the helm of the women's program. "We are thrilled to have Deitre take the reins of our volleyball program", said Schemmel. "She brings a wealth of world class experience as a coach and a player, and an outstanding list of accomplishments. We look forward to great future success in women's volleyball at San Diego State." Collins-Parker comes to San Diego State after five seasons as the head coach at Cornel, where she led the Big Red to three Ivy League titles and two NCAA tournament appearances. Under her tutelage, the Big Red has seen seven players named first-team All-Ivy, including two-time Ivy League Player of the Year and honorable mention All-American, Elizabeth Bishop (2007).
Prior to taking over at Cornell in 2004, Collins-Parker spent the previous eight seasons as head coach at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, earning Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1998 after taking a dormant volleyball program and leading the Lady Rebels to a 23-8 record and a WAC tournament semifinal appearance.
Before her stint at UNLV, Collins-Parker served as an assistant coach at South Alabama, Northern Arizona and Houston for one year each. She also has plenty of international coaching experience as well. She served as head coach of the 1998 U.S. junior national team, directing her squad to a gold medal in the national qualifier. She served in the same capacity during the summer of 2000 (silver medal) and 2001 (bronze medal).
A former member of the U.S. national team and a three-time AVCA All-American at the University of Hawaii, Collins-Parker was the starting middle blocker for the 1988 Olympic Team in Seoul, South Korea, and was an alternate for the 1992 team in Barcelona, Spain. She played in over 130 international matches and earned bronze medals at the 1986 Goodwill Games and the 1987 Pan-Am Games.
As a collegian, Collins-Parker was a two-time Broderick Award honoree as the national player of the year (1983, 1984) after leading the Rainbow Wahine to consecutive national titles and a 110-5 record in her final three seasons. Collins capped off her career by becoming the first volleyball player to be awarded the Broderick Cup recipient, given to the nation's best collegiate athlete in all sports.
She was twice named to the NCAA all-tournament team and still holds the record for solo blocks in one NCAA tournament (15 in 1982). She was one of six players named to the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball 25th Anniversary Team in October 2005.
Collins-Parker went on to compete at the national level and played in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and was also an alternate for the 1992 games in Barcelona, Spain. She played in over 130 international matches and earned bronze medals at the 1986 Goodwill Games and 1987 Pan-Am Games. She played professionally in the Italian League (1988-89) and the French League (1989-91), capturing the French League Championship twice and the European Cup of Champions in 1990.
Collins-Parker was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame this past fall. She currently serves as a member of the AVCA Board of Directors and the chairperson on the AVCA Minority Coaches Committee. She currently has membership with the AVCA, Coaches Accreditation Program, Kaepa Gold Medal Clinics, Black Coaches Association, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Earlier this month, Collins-Parker received the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award during the 2009 NCAA Convention in Washington, D.C. The award honors former student-athletes who successfully completed collegiate careers in various sports and have excelled in their chosen professions on their 25th anniversary of completing their athletics eligibility
A 1995 graduate of Hawaii with a bachelor of arts in broadcast communications, Collins-Parker is a member of the USA Volleyball Coaching Accreditation Program and is a CAP level III accredited coach.
Collins-Parker is married to Dale Parker who is in his fourth season as an assistant coach for the Cornell women's basketball team.