Clayberg leaving Central volleyball post
Central College
PELLA — Leaving behind an impactful legacy, Kent Clayberg is giving up his position as Central College’s volleyball coach after 19 seasons with the program.
Clayberg, a 1990 Central graduate, joined the Dutch staff as an assistant in 1998 before being promoted to associate head coach in 2002 and head coach in 2003. As head coach, Clayberg posted a 290-181 (.615) mark, with five Iowa Conference titles and four NCAA Division III tournament berths. He’s a three-time league coach of the year honoree.
Including his earlier time with the program, Clayberg was a part of 10 league title winners, with eight NCAA tourney appearances and three national championships (1998, 1999, 2000), while the Dutch compiled a 460-208 record (.638).
His departure closes a chapter in a remarkable Central volleyball era, shepherded by the Clayberg family. Megan Clayberg, husband of Kent Clayberg’s older brother, Brett ‘85, preceded him as Central’s head coach from 1991-2002. She compiled a 370-107 record in building the powerhouse program, and helped engineer her brother-in-law’s return to campus.
But that legacy and his degree of personal investment made the job all-consuming for Kent Clayberg. That counters the whole-person concept he instills in his players.
“I’ve preached that though their identity as a volleyball player is an awesome part of who they are, they are much, much more than that,” Clayberg said. “Life is bigger than just volleyball. It’s time for me to see if maybe that applies to me as well.”
Yet he cherishes his time at Central.
“I am so humbled by and appreciative of the experience I’ve had coaching volleyball at Central College for the last 19 years,” he said. “So many good people who have blessed my life, coaches, staff members and administrators who have each been sources of friendship, motivation and inspiration for me.
“And my players—19 different teams, each filled with young women who inspired me and made me laugh and challenged me to give to them an equal measure of all they gave to me. I simply adore them and appreciate each of them more than they can ever know.
“I leave Central College with a full heart – a heart filled with happy memories and lessons that I’ll take forth as I move into a new chapter of my life’s adventure.”
Clayberg’s passion for Central and Dutch student-athletes will be difficult to replicate, said athletics director Eric Van Kley, who is launching an immediate search for a replacement, but not without recognizing the departing coach.
“We need to celebrate all that Kent has accomplished, particularly in terms of the huge impact he’s had on the lives of our student-athletes,” he said. “Kent epitomizes the values we promote at Central College.”
Beyond trophies and titles, Clayberg left his biggest mark as a mentor for his student-athletes, to whom he was never “Coach” or “Clayberg,” but just Kent, a leader whose primary goal was their personal development.
“Kent’s care for his players and his desire for them to leave Central better people and better teammates than when they arrived is a gift that I continue to appreciate,” said Angie (Nielsen) Sears ’02, now of Omaha, Neb. Sears was a three-time all-America setter who helped the Dutch capture three national titles and four league crowns while Clayberg was an assistant.
And his value as a technician and strategist was a key to those titles, she said.
“Kent prepared us so well tactically for matches in the postseason,” Sears said. “Several of us former players have always said that we knew we were the most prepared team walking into any match. Kent’s hours of breaking down and analyzing game film were undoubtedly a huge key to the success of the team while I had the privilege of playing at Central.
Ann (Van Hemert) Allen ’00, now associate director of admission and financial aid at Drake University, agreed.
“I truly believe Kent was one of the key reasons Central won three national championships,” she said.
Allen was a co-captain of Central’s 1999 NCAA title winners and later served as Clayberg’s top assistant coach for four seasons. She said his commitment level is unrivaled.
“I’ve never met another person as dedicated to what they do as Kent,” Allen said. “He lives, eats and breathes Central volleyball and wants nothing but the best for his athletes. As an assistant under Kent, I saw how much he truly cared–for how his team played, for how his team impacted each other, and for who they were becoming. Central volleyball has been fortunate to have him.”
Katie (Pederson) Whipple ’06, the 2005 Iowa Conference MVP and also the league’s female scholar-athlete of the year, valued Clayberg’s efforts.
“Two things that made Kent a great coach were his commitment to excellence and absolute joy in competition,” said Whipple, a four-time league champ who was recently named director of the Academic Success Center at Iowa State University. “Through his leadership, he instilled those qualities in our team and created an environment where we had as much fun in relationship with our teammates as we did winning matches.”
Sears said that dedication was obvious, as was his ever-present enthusiasm. That made Clayberg synonymous with Central volleyball.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a coach who day after day brought the level of energy that Kent brought to the gym,” she said. “His commitment to bettering his players and imparting a true love for the game and for the Central volleyball program set a standard few could match. He loves the Central experience and you can’t help but catch that excitement when you are around him.”
