One of the most decorated coaches in the history of University of the Pacific Athletics, former volleyball head coach John Dunning, was inducted into the West Coast Conference Hall of Honor over the weekend.

Dunning, a two-time national champion as the Tigers’ head coach, was recognized in a special ceremony at the 2024 Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Basketball Championship in Las Vegas. He was one of nine inductees, one from each member institution.

“It’s a great honor and it’s very humbling. I coached a lot of great players and a lot of wonderful women,” Dunning said. “I’m very appreciative of the people I worked with and coached. I loved every minute at Pacific, and I’m grateful for the way my family and I were treated.”

Dunning served as Pacific’s head coach from 1985-2000. He guided the Tigers to back-to-back national championships in 1985 and 1986, as well as Final Four appearances in 1990 (national runner-up) and 1999.

"One of the most exciting experiences of my life was beating Stanford for our first NCAA title. Just 10 months prior, I was a high school coach and to get the job at Pacific, recruit, go through a successful season and win a national championship was remarkable,” Dunning said. "The following year in 1986, we hosted the Final Four and the Spanos Center was sold out. We beat Nebraska handily for the championship, and to share that moment with the players, coaches, families, boosters and administrators was very special.”

Pacific advanced to the NCAA Tournament in all 16 of his seasons, compiling a 43-15 record in the postseason. Dunning hoisted five conference championships and was a four-time conference Coach of the Year winner.

Former Pacific volleyball player Cathy Lumb-Edwards served as a graduate assistant under Dunning from 1986-87. 

“It was eye-opening to see how his coaching style brought tremendous success," Lumb-Edwards said. "He was able to get the most out of his players and made the program a family affair."

Her daughter, Alexa Edwards ‘24, is a current student-athlete on the volleyball team. “He’s a wonderful man that’s still involved with the program, and him and Alexa have their own separate relationship. He’s been in her life and has helped her volleyball-wise, and it’s great to see generations still connected."

Dunning also coached and mentored a pair of Olympians in Elaina Oden and Jennifer Jones. They were two of 16 All-Americans under his tutelage.

"This is a well-deserved honor for the most accomplished coach in the history of Pacific Athletics,” said Director of Athletics Adam Tschuor. “To this day, Coach Dunning is still a great mentor to many of our current head and assistant coaches, and it's extremely fitting for him to earn this recognition."

Following his time at Pacific, Dunning coached at Stanford for 16 seasons from 2001-16 and won three national championships in 2001, 2004 and 2016. He was named American Volleyball Coaches Association National Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2016.

In his 32 seasons total, Dunning compiled an 888-185 record and 24 of his teams finished ranked in the top 10.

Dunning was inducted into the Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007 and is also a member of the Fremont High School, Stockton Sports and San Jose Sports Halls of Fame. Before his time at Pacific, he racked up a 283-32 record at Fremont and won the 1980 state title.

Dunning still serves on the Pacific Athletics staff as a special assistant to the director of athletics with a focus on competitive excellence.

“I don’t give any advice to coaches. The value I have is that I have stories behind my thoughts,” Dunning said. “For example, coaches may ask when to call a timeout, and I can tell a story about when I called timeout or when I didn’t call timeout and what happened based on my own experiences. It’s up to them to then figure it out. Coaching is an art based on personal experiences.”

Dunning resides in Lodi with his wife Julie. The couple has two daughters, Lauren and Lisa, and two grandchildren, McKenzie and Cole.