Ker Resigns as CSUN Women’s Volleyball Coach

Walt Ker, who led the Cal State Northridge women’s volleyball team to three NCAA Division II championships, has resigned as coach after 14 seasons.

Ker, 39, announced his resignation Thursday, citing family reasons. He said he wanted to devote more time to his wife and three sons. Ker, who guided the Matadors to postseason play every season, said the commitment to coaching--particularly since 1990 when the Matadors moved to the Division I level--had become too demanding.

“My wife and I have been talking about this, actually, for the past couple of years,” Ker said. “Doing things like recruiting and fund-raising and going to clinics. . . . If I gave the girls a night off from practice, I wound up going out to a (recruiting) visit rather than home to my family.

“It’s a difficult step. But in my heart, I know it’s the right thing to do.”

Ker said his resignation, effective immediately, also brought to an end his teaching career at Northridge, where he has served as a physical education instructor for the past 17 years. Ker said he plans to enter private business.

No replacement has been named. Judith Brame, the school’s associate athletics director, said “a full national search” for a new coach will be conducted.

“Coach Walt Ker has built and directed an outstanding women’s volleyball program during his tenure at Cal State Northridge,” Brame said. “Personally, I will miss Walt.”

Ker compiled a 401-144 record (.735 winning percentage) and guided the Matadors to more than 20 victories 11 times. Northridge posted a 27-8 record in 1992 and earned the program’s first at-large bid to the NCAA Division I tournament. Northridge was eliminated by USC in three games in the first round of the 32-team tournament last month. Ker earned his 400th victory in a sweep of San Diego in November.

As a Division I independent the past three seasons, Northridge has qualified for the 20-team, postseason National Invitational Volleyball Championships twice, finishing as runner-up in 1990 and tied for fifth in 1991.

In Division II, Ker led the Matadors to national championships in 1980, 1983 and 1987, and runner-up finishes in 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1988.

In 1987, Ker was selected national coach of the year after leading the Matadors to a 35-7 record, including a 12-0 mark in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. Ker was selected CCAA coach of the year five times and Southwest regional coach of the year four consecutive years from 1985-88. The Matadors are 72-35 at Division I after going 329-109 under Ker in 11 seasons at Division II.

Ker graduated from Granada Hills High in 1971. In 1975, he founded the school’s boys’ volleyball program and served as its coach until 1977. Ker attended Valley College before graduating from Northridge in 1976. He lettered in volleyball and basketball at both schools.

Ker would not rule out returning to coaching. But his next assignment, he said, will be to coach his sons--ages 6, 4 and 2--in T-ball and soccer. “I’ll get my coaching kicks through my children,” Ker said.