Nebraska volleyball head coach John Cook has decided to retire after a legendary 25 seasons coaching the Huskers. The program made the announcement Wednesday.

“I’ve been here for 25 years. That’s a long time to do something. It’s been a great run,” Cook said in a program release. “I want to thank my family for their support, and I want to thank Bill Byrne and Terry Pettit for giving me the opportunity to be the Nebraska volleyball coach. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some great coaches and staff over the years, and I’m forever grateful for how hard they worked and for how much they gave to Nebraska volleyball.

“For me personally, the greatest accomplishment in coaching is seeing former players go into coaching or other careers and taking the lessons they’ve learned from being a Nebraska volleyball player and applying it to their everyday lives. There is no greater reward in coaching than that. Lastly and most importantly, I want to thank the fans for always supporting Nebraska volleyball. I’ve always said to ‘Dream Big’, and we’ve dreamed bigger than any volleyball program in the history of the world.”

Cook coached for 32 seasons, including 7 at Wisconsin bfore his Nebraska tenure. He guided the Huskers to 4 national championships, 12 NCAA Semifinals appearances, 9 Big 12 titles and 5 Big Ten titles. Cook achieved a career record of 883-176 (.834), the fifth-best winning percentage all-time for a Division I volleyball coach. Cook’s record of 722-103 at Nebraska is the best winning percentage (.875) for any DI program over the last 25 years.

To succeed Cook, the Huskers are turning to one of their own. Former Nebraska volleyball player Dani Busboom Kelly has been named the program’s new head coach.

Busboom Kelly won national titles at Nebraska as a player (2006) and an assistant (2015). She became Louisville’s head coach in late 2016. She logged a 203-44 (.822) record in her eight seasons at Louisville, including a 120-15 (.889) mark over the last four years.

“The opportunity to come home to Nebraska is more than a dream come true,” Busboom Kelly said in a released statement. “I want to thank Troy Dannen, Dr. Jeffrey Gold, and Kristen Brown for their trust in me to continue the legacy of Nebraska volleyball. A huge thank you to John Cook. I would not be here without his mentorship and support.

“I’ve gotten chills listening to the roars in the Coliseum and now Devaney since I was nine years old. Nebraska is the greatest place in the world to play volleyball and I am honored to be a part of it once again! My family and I can’t wait to get to work and bring more championships home. Go Big Red!”