Don Shondell, iconic Ball State men’s volleyball coach, dies at 92

MUNCIE, Ind. (WISH) — A sports icon at Ball State, Don Shondell, died Tuesday night, the university said Wednesday in a news release.

The former men’s volleyball coach, who holds the record of the second-most wins by a head coach in the NCAA, was 92.

Shondell worked years to make men’s volleyball into a varsity sport, earning the varsity status for the Cardinals in 1964. He led the program for 34 years. Shondell led Ball State to 19 regular-season Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) titles, 12 MIVA tournament championships, and 13 NCAA men’s volleyball championship tournament berths.

Ball State in 2018 opened the Dr. Don Shondell Practice Center, a practice gymnasium containing two regulation-size courts designed specifically for the volleyball and basketball programs, in addition to a training room for taping and treatment, two team meeting rooms, and a video room.

Shondell is survived by his three sons and one daughter: Steve, a former women’s volleyball coach at Ball State and girl’s volleyball coach at Burris Laboratory School in Muncie; Dave, the head women’s volleyball head coach at Purdue University; John, who is Dave’s assistant at Purdue; and Kim.