Kiraly, Karch
Volleyball
b. Nov. 3, 1960, Jackson, MI
The best volleyball player the U. S. has produced and quite possibly the best in the history of the sport, Kiraly learned the game from his father, Laszlo, a former member of the Hungarian national team who escaped from Hungary during the 1956 revolution.
California's most valuable player as a high school senior, he entered UCLA in 1979 and led the school to three NCAA championships, in 1979, 1981, and 1982, and to a second-place finish in 1980. UCLA won 123 of 128 games during his career.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Kiraly was a member of the U. S. national team from 1981 to 1989. During that period, the team won gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, at the 1982 and 1986 world championships, and at the 1987 Pan-American Games.
Kiraly was named the best player in the world after being selected for the all-tournament team in the 1986 world championships and he was most valuable player of the 1988 Olympic tournament, in which he had 137 kills, 16 block stuffs, 15 block assists, and a 60 percent kill percentage.
After leaving the national team, Kiraly played for Il Messaggero in Italy and was named most valuable player and best digger when the squad won the 1991 club world championship.
Kiraly has also starred in beach volleyball, winning a record 143 open tournaments. He teamed with Kent Steffens to win the first Olympic gold medal in the sport in 1996.
The Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) named Kiraly its most valuable player six times, in 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1998. He was also named the circuit's best offensive player in 1990, 1993, and 1994 and its best defensive player in 2002.