For DIINational Coach of the Year
Team and Family Become One
At the rate coach Brady Starkey is going, he will soon need a bigger office. In five years as Concordia head volleyball coach, his office has quickly filled with plaques and trophies; the newest of which is a DII national championship trophy and the National Coach of the Year award. Starkey said he doesn’t define himself by what hangs on his walls. For him, it is more about making volleyball a family affair. Of course, nothing bonds a family like winning a national championship. “Seeing how happy they are when they do things well is really rewarding,” said Starkey. “They become your family and you live vicariously through them.”
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Starkey attributes the team’s success to their talent, work ethic, defensive game, competitiveness, refuse-to-lose attitude and young energy. “When your team is as tight as ours, little things don’t get in the way of being able to compete,” said Starkey.
Daughters Teagan Shea, 5 and Kayli Jade, 3 ½ often lead the team cheer after victories. Starkey said they’re always playing with a volleyball and their competitive nature is already evident. He joked that they’ve both already verbally committed to playing at Concordia.
Starkey said his family is just as passionate about his work as he is. His wife of 10 years, Penny, is the youngest of six girls—all of whom played college volleyball. Penny was a two-time volleyball AllAmerican and is a member of the Athletic Hall of Fame at the University of St. Thomas. Since Penny has coached volleyball, Starkey said she really understands what he goes through on the job. “It’s a nice thing to come home to,” he said.
He said his daughter’s role models are him, Penny, and the team’s 13 girls. “What more could you want,” he said. “They (the girls on the team) are very smart, work super hard and are nice kids. If my daughters turn out anything like the players we’ve had at Concordia, I will know we did a great job as parents.”
Concordia St. Paul Spring | 2008