Alan Knipe is going out as the reigning NCAA champion.
The Hall of Fame coach announced Monday that will retire at the end of the month prior to the start of the 2026 season.
Knipe last season guided Long Beach State to the NCAA championship – the program’s third national title in the last seven years. The three-time National Coach of the Year accumulated 450 career wins and more than a .700 winning percentage in 22 seasons with the Beach.
Along with the national titles, Knipe guided the Beach to eight NCAA Tournament appearances in the last nine years. Knipe as a player also led Long Beach State in 1991 to the program’s first NCAA championship.
“Long Beach State gave me far more than a place to coach. It became my home and was and is one of the great honors of my life,” Knipe said in a statement. “As a proud alumnus, leading the men’s Volleyball program was never just a job, it was a lifelong mission to mentor young men who were willing to commit to something bigger than themselves. I will always be proud of what we built together, but the legacy I cherish most is watching our players grow into outstanding men.”
Long Beach State under Knipe had players earn 103 All-American selections and a Beach player was named the National Player of the Year eight times. In addition, 40 Long Beach State players following college had professional volleyball careers.
Knipe took over the Long Beach State program in 2001 after serving as an assistant coach and helping the team reach to the 1999 NCAA Tournament finals.
Knipe coached the team for nine seasons before taking a three-year sabbatical to serve as the U.S. Men’s National Team coach. The United States under Knipe advanced to the 2012 Olympics quarterfinals and won the silver medal at the 2012 FIVB World League.
The head coach came back to Long Beach State for the 2013 season and within three years the program returned to the NCAA Tournament. The Beach would then win back-to-back NCAA champions in 2018 and 2019 and capture another national championship this year.
Long Beach State announced Monday it intends to hire in the next few days a new head coach to succeed Knipe.
Three assistant coaches were a part of Knipe’s coaching staff, including associate head coach Nick MacRae. MacRae has spent the last 13 seasons in the Beach coaching staff and has twice been named the National Assistant Coach of the Year.