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Nebraska Volleyball’s Harper Murray shared her feelings on being present when legendary coach John Cook was honored with a statue on campus. On Thursday, September 19, Nebraska unveiled a statue of Cook on the north side of the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Notably, the Huskers recently wrapped up their non-conference schedule undefeated,10-0. They capped it off with a sweep over Arizona 25-19, 25-23, 25-18 on Saturday, September 20. Murray led Nebraska’s offense with 14 kills on .333 hitting in the victory.
In the post-match press conference, Murray reflected on what it meant to see her coach, who recruited her, get honored while she’s still part of the program:
“We went to his ceremony on Wednesday. So, it was really cool just to see that because we all know how much of a legacy he left here. Being able to honor him and have a statue out there is really cool. And I'm sure it’s cool for him, but he’s not going to admit that.
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I know it means a lot to him and it means a lot to us, too, because he’s the one who recruited us here and he’s the one who started this program and really built it over the past 25 years. So, I think it’s just really exciting and we’re grateful that he was here and left that legacy,” Harper Murray said (6:00 onwards)
Murray and Cook share a special bond, with the coach’s trust and guidance helping carry her through her first season in Lincoln.
All about Nebraska Volleyball’s legendary coach John Cook's journey with Huskers
John Cook took over as Nebraska Volleyball’s head coach in 2000 and led the Huskers to an NCAA title in his debut season. Over the next 25 years in Lincoln, he transformed Nebraska Volleyball into one of the nation’s notable women’s volleyball programs.
Cook guided Nebraska Volleyball to four national championships in 2000, 2006, 2015 and 2017, eight NCAA Finals appearances, nine Big 12 titles and five Big Ten titles. Since retiring in January, Cook has been recognized with multiple honors. Back in April, Nebraska renamed its home court at the Bob Devaney Sports Center the John Cook Court. Most recently, on September 19, he joined football legends Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne as just the third former Nebraska coach to be honored with a statue on campus.
Since retirement, Cook has transitioned into new roles and he now works as an analyst for the Big Ten Network and serves as general manager of the Omaha Supernovas.
