Sept. 3, 2008
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame head volleyball coach Debbie Brown will be honored during the University of Southern California’s match versus Oklahoma on Thursday as part of the program’s All-Time Great Night. Brown, a former Trojan standout, will be joined during the ceremony with teammate Sue Woodstra. Permanent banners with Woodstra and Brown’s name will be displayed in the Galen Center.
After graduating from El Segundo High School (Calif.), Brown captained the University of Southern California to a 72-1 two-year record and national titles in both 1976 and 1977, including a 38-0 run in 1977 that, until 1998, was the only unbeaten season in Division I women’s volleyball history. Her 1977 squad is still considered one of the all-time greatest at any level of volleyball. Brown (then Debbie Landreth) twice was named a collegiate All-American and received the Mikasa Award as the “nation’s best all-around player” in 1976 and 1977.
The 5-8 outside hitter left USC prior to her junior year, accepting an invitation to train full-time with the U.S. national team. She co-captained the team to a fifth-place finish at the 1978 World Championships. A year later, she and her teammates – including Debbie Green, Flo Hyman, Rita Crockett and Woodstra – qualified for the Olympics in Moscow and were considered serious medal contenders before the United States elected to boycott the games.
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