John Cook’s name is quite literally forever tied to Nebraska Huskers volleyball’s legacy. And it’s not because he gave four national, nine Big 12, and five Big 10 titles to the Huskers in his 25 years as head coach. It’s because Cook’s made the already great program into what many may argue to be the best program in all of the NCAA. So, the Board of Regents named the volleyball arena inside Bob Devaney Sports Center after the legendary coach when he retired, but there was something more.
The Board of Regents announced its plan to add to that honor. They announced that Cook will get his own life-sized bronze statue right outside Bob Devaney Center. So everyone entering the hallowed Nebraska volleyball arena will have a chance to admire the man who enriched its legacy. “This is an incredible honor. I am truly humbled by all of it,” said the retired coach. Yet, he’s been silent about any further developments until now.
John Cook revealed a lot about his past and future in his recent interview with the Lincoln Journal Star. Naturally, they asked the former head coach about what the bronze statue would look like. “I don’t know,” said Cook. “They sent me some pictures, and the picture that I thought would be the best to model after is the picture of when we beat UNO in the stadium match,” he added.
“I’m holding my fist in the air, and I have my clipboard,” the 69-year-old said about the picture he chose. The snapshot he spoke about would be quite fitting. It captures Cook in his element and during a match that holds the world attendance record for women’s sport. Yet the humble coach is not pressing the issue. “I don’t know what they’ve come up with, and I’m not getting involved with it,” he told the Lincoln Journal Star.
Nebraska Volleyball/Instagram
So while even John Cook doesn’t know when NU will start the project, we know other details about it. Nebraska native George Lundeen, a nationally recognized artist, will create the life-sized statue. The statue will stand on the north side of Devaney Center, and signage around the arena will also be updated. The cost? SI revealed the rough estimate to be $400,000. Now, you may be wondering what John Cook is focused on if he’s not involved with the project.
John Cook is exploring new horizons
The long-time Nebraska volleyball coach retired because he wanted to be there to see his granddaughter grow up. “I got a four-year-old granddaughter now who asked, ‘When am I going to see you?’… That starts wearing on you a little bit. They moved up to Wyoming during COVID, it’s been hard,” the former AVCA Coach of the Year said on The Volleyball State podcast.
So John Cook chose to move and spend most of his time in Wyoming after retiring. But the free time has also given the former volleyball coach a lot of time to pursue things he never got time for. In April, the football fan revealed his plans to watch more football in Nebraska. “I still want to come back for football games. That’s one of the things I want to spend more time doing,” he told Huskers Extra.
Meanwhile, the former coach is already doing other things. The 69-year-old has always had a passion for rodeo and especially roping. So after retiring, Cook has started honing his roping skills again. What’s more? The former Nebraska volleyball coach is already giving back to the state’s sporting community through roping.
On April 12 and 13, John Cook organized his inaugural team roping event titled the John Cook Team Roping Classic. The former NCAA coach donated the proceeds from the event to the UNL Rodeo Scholarship Fund. But wait, there’s more. During his Lincoln Journal Star interview, the coach also showed interest in volleyball commentary. “I’m thinking about it. I really, really enjoy it. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. We just have to work through what their plan is,” he said. It seems the sky is the limit for the Nebraska volleyball legend.
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