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The winningest active coach in NCAA men’s volleyball is ending his reign on the Stevens sidelines.
Stevens announced Friday that Patrick Dorywalkski will retire from his head coach position effective on Monday.
Dorywalkski in 31 seasons at the helm accumulated 635 career victories on a .695 winning percentage. In addition, the coach led the Ducks to the Division III NCAA Tournament semifinals five times since 2012 and the Division III NCAA championship in 2015.
“It is difficult to express in a few words the contributions that Patrick has made to Stevens during his career,” athletics director Russell Rogers said in a statement. “What sticks out, of course, is winning the first NCAA team championship in Stevens history in 2015 and the standard of consistent excellence that his program has established. Patrick is the only [head] coach our men’s program has ever known and was also the first [head] coach of our women’s program. The impact of his efforts really hits home when one considers how successful both programs have been.”
Dorywalkski arrived at the NCAA Division III school in 1984 and initially was the head coach of the Stevens club women’s volleyball team. The women’s volleyball team transitioned to a varsity sport in 1986 and he remained the coach of the team until 1999.
He also started the men’s volleyball program in 1990 and spent the next 10 seasons coaching both teams.
“People will say that my legacy at Stevens is the first NCAA team national championship or the NCAA appearances,” Dorywalski said in a statement. “However, I would say that my legacy is the hundreds of incredible student-athletes that I have had the pleasure of helping through their time at Stevens. They are all great people and I will never forget them.”
Stevens concluded the shortened 2020 season at No. 5 in the Division III national coaches poll. This was the ninth time that the Ducks finished a season in the top five of the national rankings.