A storied career is officially over as Arizona Volleyball coach Dave Rubio announced his retirement after 31 years in Tucson.
It is a sad day for Arizona Volleyball fans everywhere, as one of the long stays within the Arizona Athletics Department is officially retiring.
Making news via social media on Tuesday afternoon, longtime Arizona Volleyball head coach Dave Rubio announced that he will be retiring effectively immediately.
𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑪𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝑹𝒖𝒃𝒊𝒐
— Arizona Volleyball (@ArizonaVBall) January 17, 2023
31 years, 570 victories, 20 NCAA Tournament appearances. Congratulations on an amazing career, Coach!#BearDown
Originally joining the Wildcats in 1992, after spending 31 seasons in Tucson, the Wildcats will have a fresh face next season.
Arizona Volleyball head coach Dave Rubio ends his run at Arizona after having put together a storied career.
It all started several decades ago when Dave left Cal State Bakersfield to come to Tucson to take over a dormant program that didn’t win a single conference game the season before his arrival.
A bit of a gamble with their hire; however, Dave seemed like a great fit. After all, he was a young and steadily rising head coach, especially after taking the Roadrunners to two Division II Final Fours and winning the 1989 National Championship.
Well, fast forward to now, and Rubio retires as the winningest coach in Arizona history and one of the best in Pac-12 history with 570 victories, 20 NCAA appearances, eight Sweet 16s, four Elite Eights, and one Final Four appearance.
However, Arizona will now have quite the challenge in replacing the legendary head coach, especially as the program hopes to keep the commitment from Carlie Cisneros, the No. 1 rated player in the class of 2024.
Here is the lengthy and heartfelt message that Dave said announcing his retirement:
"“After 31 seasons as the head volleyball coach at the University of Arizona, it is time for me to retire. I would like to thank Cedric Dempsey and Rocky LaRose for giving me the initial opportunity to be the head coach in 1992. I would also like to thank Jim Livengood, Greg Byrne, and Dave Heeke for their belief in me throughout my time at Arizona. I want to personally thank all the student-athletes who have contributed to our program. It has been a privilege to coach the players who chose to attend and compete at Arizona.”"
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