TROY, Mich. - - Madonna University volleyball coach and Hall of Fame inductee Jerry Abraham inducted one of his fellow coaches into another Hall of Fame last week as the MU boss inducted legendary UCLA volleyball head coach Andy Banachowski into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in an event at the Polish-American Cultural Center.
The four inductees were Banachowski, the late Mark Fidrych (baseball), Bobby Czyz (boxing) and Joe Verdeur (swimming). Fidrych and Banachowski were elected from the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame national ballot, while Czyz and Verdeur were selected by the Hall's Veterans Committee. The election of the quartet brings the Hall of Fame roster to 116.
"It was an amazing experience going back to Detroit to be inducted into the Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame," Banachowski said. "There is quite a lineage of Polish athletes and I am honored to be included among them."
Banachowski begins his 43rd season as the head coach of the UCLA women's volleyball program in 2009 and is closing in on 1,100 career victories. Banachowski holds an overall record of 1,082-292 (.787 winning percentage). He has more victories than any other collegiate women's volleyball coach. Banachowski has guided the Bruins to 10-straight, 20-win seasons and six consecutive trips to the NCAA Regionals.
Abraham, who is a member of the NAIA Hall of Fame's class of 2004 and was the inaugural member of the Madonna Hall of Fame the same year, begins his 23rd season at the helm of the Crusaders and sits just 21 wins away from becoming the first member of the 900-win club in NAIA history. Madonna has captured the last 12 Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference championships and has never had a losing season in the 22-year history of the program.
The Crusaders open the 2009 season on August 19 with the annual Alumni Match and kick off the regular season on August 28 at the University of Michigan-Dearborn's Early Bird Classic.
