Breadcrumb

Women鈥檚 volleyball legend Gibson-McHugh remembered for mentorship

Jayne Gibson-McHugh

Three-time women鈥檚 volleyball All-American and 老司机福利网 Hall of Fame inductee Jayne Gibson-McHugh 鈥82 died Nov. 15 at the age of 65 after a battle with cancer.

Gibson-McHugh was a member of Pacific鈥檚 volleyball program in three different capacities. She was a four-year letterwinner from 1978-81, an assistant coach from 1989-00 and head coach from 2001-05.

鈥淛ayne was the ultimate competitor and warrior,鈥 said Pacific Hall of Fame head coach John Dunning. 鈥淎s an assistant coach for me, she played a lot in practice and the players could feel her extreme competitiveness and see first-hand how someone competed at the highest level.

鈥淪he was a tremendous role model and her former players learned a lot from her as a person and coach,鈥 he added. 鈥淪he loved Pacific and understood the athletes in a way that I couldn鈥檛 because of her playing experience and connection on the court. This is an incredibly difficult loss for Pacific鈥攕he was a Tiger through and through.鈥

As a student-athlete, Gibson-McHugh led the Tigers to three straight conference championships, which included a 36-0 conference record in her final three seasons. As a senior, Gibson-McHugh earned AVCA All-America First Team honors and was tabbed the NorCal Conference Most Valuable Player after serving as the team's leader in kills, hitting percentage and in all major blocking categories.

In her career, Gibson-McHugh tallied 856 kills, 155 blocks and a .303 hitting percentage. She continues to hold the program鈥檚 record for block solos in a match with nine against Stanford on Oct. 16, 1981.

Jayne Gibson-McHugh

In 1982, Gibson-McHugh was the recipient of an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. After graduating from Pacific with a degree in education, Gibson-McHugh went on to play for the U.S. National Team in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

She returned to Pacific in 1989 as an assistant coach under John Dunning. Danielle Hardcastle 鈥01, who played at Pacific from 1997-2000 while Gibson-McHugh was assistant, said she holds a special place in her heart.

鈥淛ayne was fierce, loyal and exemplified everything that Pacific volleyball has always been about. She fought for everything and held everyone to a higher standard because she held herself to that,鈥 said Hardcastle, who was a member of Pacific鈥檚 1999 Final Four team. 鈥淛ayne was an inspiration to me my entire life. First it was to be a better player and better teammate, then it was to be a better wife and better mom and ultimately it was to be a better person.鈥

Another of her former players, Tracy Chambers 鈥00 who played from 1996-99 and was a part of the same Final Four team as Hardcastle, echoed her teammate鈥檚 comments.

鈥淛ayne recruited me and got me to Pacific because I wanted to learn and be coached by one of the best middle blockers in the country. She鈥檚 truly my mentor and role model in life,鈥 Chambers said. 鈥淪he was the most competitive and fierce person I鈥檝e ever seen, and she pushed me to levels that I didn鈥檛 even think were possible for myself鈥攂oth as a player and a person. She instilled in us that no one can beat us but ourselves and we must play with utter confidence, but at the same time, have fun with it and take that into life.鈥

As Pacific鈥檚 head coach, Gibson-McHugh compiled a 100-59 overall record. After Pacific, she was the girls volleyball coach at St. Mary鈥檚 High School in Stockton.

Gibson-McHugh was a member of the 1980 team that was inducted into the Pacific Hall of Fame. As an individual, she was also inducted into Pacific鈥檚 Hall of Fame for her accolades in 1992 and is a member of the Stockton Hall of Fame.

鈥淛ayne was, without a doubt, one of the most influential people in my life,鈥 said Jen Tamas 鈥04, who played under Gibson-McHugh as a head coach and is currently an assistant coach at Illinois. 鈥淪he was always tough in the gym, but the second her kids鈥擩ack and Ryan鈥攚ere around she melted into this warm, loving mother. I think about her all the time, and I wanted to be like her. I wanted to be an Olympian like her, and I loved seeing that she could be both a fearless head coach and have a devoted family life as well.鈥

Gibson-McHugh was inducted into the Colorado High School Activities Association Hall of Fame in 1991. She was a three-sport athlete in volleyball, basketball and track at Arvada West, a two-time volleyball Player of the Year and was a part of four state championship teams.