JON WILSON
Meet our Juniors Coach Jon Wilson!
Jonathan Wilson, seven-time Atlantic Coast Conference champion while head coach at Duke, was named Columbia University’s head coach of volleyball in January of 2008.
“Jonathan is the right person to lead our volleyball program,” Dr. M. Dianne Murphy, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education said. “He is a proven winner with an outstanding record at highly academic institutions. His extensive and diverse background will benefit our student-athletes in all facets of their collegiate experience. Hiring Jonathan is the first step in the revitalization of our women’s volleyball program.”
Wilson, who won more than 300 games at Duke, has also coached in the Ivy League as an assistant at the University of Pennsylvania, and was head coach of women’s volleyball at Rice.
In his first season at the helm of the Lions, Wilson doubled the program’s win total from the 2007-08 season. The 2008-09 season saw Amalia Viti earn second-team All-Ivy honors and lead the entire Ivy League in kills for the entire season. Under Wilson’s tutelage, Viti graduated as the program’s all-time leader in kills. Wilson also has an eye on the future, as the 2009-10 recruiting class is one of the best in the Ivy League and earned recognition on a national level.
During his 15-year tenure with the Blue Devils, Wilson’s teams posted a record of 301-187 and appeared in seven NCAA tournaments, advancing to the Sweet 16 in 1984, 1993 and 1994. He was named ACC Coach of the Year in 1991 and 1993, and his student-athletes were named first-team All-ACC 36 times. Two were named Academic All-America.
From 1984 to 1988, Wilson consulted with the French Women’s National Team, helping them qualify for two European Championships.
Wilson also served as head coach at Rice University, leading the Owls to a 19-11 season in 2003.
Most recently, Wilson spent time coaching in Houston with the Texas Tornados Volleyball Club, one of the nation’s premier junior programs. He also coached middle school and high school boys at the St. John’s School, a nationally recognized prep school that sends many graduates to the Ivy League.
A 1977 graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Wilson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology. He earned a master’s degree from Wheaton College in 1996.
“I am excited and humbled to be the volleyball coach at such a great University,” Wilson said. “I look forward to the opportunity of building a program that matches the excellence of both Columbia and New York City. To live and work in both the Ivy League and Manhattan is a dream come true.”