Indiana University of Pennsylvania Athletics

When Carmine Cortazzo became the IUP volleyball head coach in 1998, he faced the unenviable task of rebuilding what had become one of the worst programs in the nation. Four years later, the Indians were one of the best.

A 1970 graduate of IUP and an assistant professor in the health and physical education department the past 30 years, Cortazzo steadily improved the talent level of the volleyball team and saw his efforts begin to pay dividends in 2000 and 2001 when the Indians made their first two appearances in the NCAA tournament.

But it was the 2002 team that exploded onto the national scene. IUP easily broke the school record with 33 wins against only four losses, won the PSAC championship and earned the No. 1 seed and opportunity to host the NCAA Atlantic Region tournament at Memorial Field House.

The historic season ended with a loss to Edinboro in the regional championship match. Cortazzo was named the PSAC West and American Volleyball Coaches Association Atlantic Region Coach of the Year and added a third region coaching award the following season.

Cortazzo took IUP to the NCAA tournament in each of the next three seasons to make it six trips in a row before stepping down as head coach in 2005. He finished with a record of 185-86.

Cortazzo already had a place in IUP athletic history prior to his successful run with the volleyball team. He was a four-year member of the football team from 1966-69 and was the backup quarterback on the 1968 team that won its first nine games and played in the Boardwalk Bowl. He was also an assistant football coach in 1981 and 1982.

Following his graduation from IUP, Cortazzo attended the University of Illinois and earned a master's degree in 1972. He and his wife, Denise, are the parents of daughters Cori and Beth and son Scott.