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Phone: 805.893.2200
E-Mail: RMcLaughlin@athletics.ucsb.edu
Rick McLaughlin, formerly the men's volleyball coach at Loyola Marymount, an assistant women's coach at UC Santa Barbara, and the women's coach at Golden West College, was named UCSB's head men's volleyball coach in June of 2008. He officially began his duties on July 1, taking over for Ken Preston, who retired following 30 seasons guiding the Gaucho program.
McLaughlin led the LMU program for eight years beginning in 1993, and ending in 2000 when the school dropped the program. He was named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Coach of the Year in 1998 and 2000. Following the 2000 season, he was also selected ASICS/Volleyball Magazine National Coach of the Year after guiding the Lions to the semifinals of the MPSF Tournament, a first for the program. That season, McLaughlin's squad recorded wins over traditional powerhouses UCLA, Penn State, and Long Beach State.
After leaving LMU, McLaughlin was the men's volleyball coach and a physical education instructor at Santa Monica College in 2000-01.
In the fall of 2001, he joined the staff of his brother Jim - a UCSB alumnus - to help rebuild the women's program at the University of Washington. In his one season, he helped direct the Huskies to their highest victory total in five years.
Following his season in Seattle, McLaughlin returned to Southern California, rejoining Marv Dunphy's men's staff at Pepperdine. He began his collegiate coaching career under Dunphy, coaching the 1991 and 1992 seasons and helping the Waves to the 1992 NCAA Championship. McLaughlin's second stint in Malibu (2002-05) resulted in three Final Four appearances and the 2005 National Championship.
Beginning in the spring of 2005, he spent one year as an assistant on Kathy Gregory's UCSB women's staff, a year in which the Gauchos went 21-9 overall and 12-2 in the Big West, sharing the league title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
In 2006, McLaughlin became head women's coach at Golden West College, where two successful years culminated in 2007 when he guided the program to the state title game, which the Rustlers lost to El Camino College. His two-year record at Golden West was 36-9.
As a player, McLaughlin was a four-year starting setter at Loyola Marymount. When he completed his career, he ranked among the Lions' top-10 in career assists (1,691) and service aces (58).
At LMU, McLaughlin earned a bachelor's degree in business administration. In 1999, he completed his master's degree in education at Azusa Pacific.
