Dear Argonaut:
Editor's note: This letter was also sent to President Scott Greene and Athletic Director Terry Gawlik.
As a former UI track and field student –Dear athletes and members of the Coach Keller Alumni Planning Committee, we would like to express our support for the members of the UI volleyball team. We all know that the stress and rigor of being a student-athlete is already difficult, but on top of that, the situations they face with their coaches must make it terrifying.
We want to offer our support, love, and prayers to these brave women in these extremely stressful situations. We stand firmly behind them as they ask for your help to restore their volleyball program and resolve this issue in a positive way so these students can participate. –Athletes will be able to practice and compete as strong Vandals safely and with pride.
Our coach, Mike Keller, was proud of our performance., But most importantly, we graduated. We loved our coach (even though we didn't necessarily love him every minute of our day-to-day training) and we respected him. Please give this back to the girls on the Vandal volleyball team.
thank you,
Coach Keller Alumni Planning Committee Members:
- Sam Kodua, Chair (1985, 1987)
- Julie Helbling Taylor (1986)
- Scott Knoblich (1977)
- It's Onanuboshi (1990, 1993)
- Dave Smith (1986)
- Maureen Taylor Regan, Volleyball (1976)
- Marvin Wadlow Jr. (1985)
- Everton Wanliss (1987)
- Lee Gordon, WSU graduate
Additionally, many UI track and field athletes from Coach Keller's time expressed their support for the letter and the members of the UI volleyball team. Some of them are shown below.
- Dan O'Brien (1989 alum), 1996 Olympic gold medalist, Decathlon Vandal Hall of Famer, UI Outdoor Track and Field Facility
- Chris Stokes (1987) Original member of Jamaica's first bobsled team
- Rob Simpson (1989)
- Tom Erickson (1988)
- Kurt Schneiter (1988)
- Bernardo Barrios (1992)
- Mike Rousseau (1986, 1988)
