Karch Kiraly is a former American volleyball player, coach, and broadcast announcer who was a key member of the United States National Team that won gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games. He went on to win another gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games, the first to feature beach volleyball. He became the first player (male or female) to win Olympic gold medals in both indoor and beach volleyball. He is the current head coach of the United States women’s national volleyball team, and he is leading them to their first-ever gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He had the Hungarian nickname Karcsi (pronounced Karch-ee) as a child, which corresponds to the Hungarian name Karoly for Charles. Later, at UCLA, he was known as Karch.

What is Karch Kiraly Net Worth?

Karch Kiraly is a volleyball player, coach, and broadcaster with an estimated net worth of $2 million as of 2021. He has won over $3 million in prize money and much more in endorsements. His coaching career is his main source of wealth. Details about his salary are still being worked out.

Why is Karch Kiraly Famous?

Being a volleyball player, coach, and broadcast announcer in the United States.

Winning gold medals at the Olympic Games in 1984 and 1988.

U.S. Women’s Volleyball Team picks up a gold medal:

Karch Kiraly, who lives in Heber City, and his top assistant, former BYU player and coach Luka Slabe, led the American women to the gold-medal match at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. There, they defeated Brazil in straight sets, putting an end to their gold-medal hopes in both 2008 and 2012. The final scores were 25-21, 25-20, and 25-14. When the final point of the championship was scored, Kiraly gathered Slabe and the other coaches in a writhing, celebratory circle. Kiraly was the first player to win an Olympic title as an indoor coach and player, as well as on the beach. Meanwhile, the players celebrated by collapsing in a heap on the court. “I told them they’re not just bad asses,” Kiraly exclaimed, “but gold medalists!” Slabe, who is from Ljubljana, Slovenia, said competing in the Olympics has always been a dream of his. “I’ve been waiting for this for 44 years,” Slabe told VolleyballMag.com ahead of the Games’ start. “I’ve been dreaming about how I’m going to make it since I was a little boy. I’m here, and this is a very special Olympics. We’ve returned to Tokyo, where women’s volleyball was introduced as the first women’s team sport at the Olympics in 1964. We’ve arrived back in Tokyo.” Kiraly has been the head coach of the women’s national team since November 2012. Shortly after Slabe left BYU in 2018, he named her as an assistant women’s national team coach. Slabe was also named the head women’s coach at NC State in 2020.

From where is Karch Kiraly?

Karch Kiraly was born on November 3, 1960 in Budapest, Hungary. His birthplace is Jackson, Michigan, in the United States, and his hometown is Santa Barbara, California. Charles Frederick Kiraly is his given name. He is American by nationality and American-White by ethnicity. His ethnicity is White. His horoscope sign is Scorpio, and he practices Christianity. His father, Laszlo Kiraly, and mother, Antoinette Kiraly, gave birth to him. His father was a member of Hungary’s junior national volleyball team. He also has two sisters, Kati and Kristi Kiraly. In 2020, he celebrated his 60th birthday. Kiraly began playing volleyball at the age of six, and at the age of eleven, he competed in his first beach volleyball tournament alongside his father.

Kiraly received his education at Santa Barbara High School, where he was a member of the boys’ varsity volleyball team. Kiraly was invited to join the Junior National Team during his high school years, where he competed for three years. In 1978, he enrolled at UCLA, where he majored in biochemistry and was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha Epsilon Sigma Chapter. During his senior year, he added another title to his college resume. During his four years, the Bruins went 123–5, with titles in 1979, 1981, and 1982. They were unbeaten in both the 1979 and 1982 seasons. All four years, he was an All-American, and he was named NCAA Volleyball Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 1981 and 1982. He graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and a 3.55 cumulative GPA in June 1983. In 1992, he was inducted into the UCLA Hall of Fame, and his jersey was retired in 1993.

What is Karch Kiraly Doing Now?

United States National Team

• Karch Kiraly became a member of the national team in 1981.
• He was also the inspiration for Doug Beal’s “two-man” serve reception system, which he created in 1983.
• He led the United States National Team to gold at the 1984 Summer Olympics, overcoming a pool play loss to Brazil to defeat them in the finals. He was also the gold medal team’s youngest player.
• The US National team established itself as the best team in the world by winning the 1985 FIVB World Cup, followed by the 1986 FIVB World Championship.
• The team won its second Olympic gold medal in 1988, defeating the Soviet Union in the championship match.
• He was even named captain of the 1988 team in Seoul.
• In 1986 and 1988, the FIVB named him the world’s best player.
• Following the 1988 Olympics, he stepped down from the national team.
• From 1990 to 1992, he was a professional volleyball player for Il Messaggero Ravenna in Italy, alongside teammate Steve Timmons.
• The team won the Italian Volleyball League (1991), the Italian Cup (1991), the FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship (1991), the CEV Champions League (1992), and the European Supercup in two seasons (1992).
• He is the current head coach of the United States women’s national volleyball team, and he is leading them to their first-ever gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Beach Volleyball Career

• Karch Kiraly is the ‘winningest’ player in the sport’s history, having a long career on the professional beach circuit and winning 148 tournaments in his career.
• He won titles with 13 different partners, and he reached the semifinals of domestic events more than 80% of the time. Kiraly competed until he was in his mid-40s.
• He competed in his first beach tournament when he was 11 years old.
• At the age of 15, he earned his A and AA ratings on the beach, and at the age of 17, he earned his AAA rating.
• In 1978, he had a big beach breakthrough at Hermosa Beach.
• In the 1980s, he formed a successful beach team with UCLA teammate Sinjin Smith.
• In 1992, he left his indoor career behind and returned to the United States to play full-time beach volleyball on the AVP tour.
• Kiraly returned to the Olympics in 1996, this time competing in beach volleyball alongside his partner, Steffes. Kiraly and Steffes won the first-ever gold medal in men’s beach volleyball. He won 148 professional beach volleyball championships, 74 of which he shared with Steffes.
• Over the course of his beach career, he won over $3 million in prize money and earned much more in endorsements.
• He left the AVP tour at the end of the 2007 season.

Karch Kiraly Coaching Career:

• Karch Kiraly began coaching at St. Margaret’s Episcopal High School, where he also coached his two sons, Kristian and Kory.
• He was then hired as an assistant coach by head coach Hugh McCutcheon, where he assisted in leading the team to a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
• In 2012, he was named head coach of the United States National Women’s Volleyball Team to compete in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• He also led the Women’s National Team to the FIVB World Championship, where they defeated China in the Gold Medal game. In doing so, Kiraly became the fourth person in October 2014 to win a World Championship gold medal as both a player and a coach.
• He led the United States women to a bronze medal, making him the fourth player to win medals as both a player and a coach at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
• On August 8, 2021, during the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, he led the US women to a gold medal, becoming only the second player to win a gold medal as both a player and a coach, the first being China’s Lang Ping.

Publications

• He is also a published author. He is the co-author of two books, “Karch Kiraly’s Championship Volleyball,” published by Simon and Schuster in 1996, and “Beach Volleyball,” published by Human Kinetics in 1999.

Broadcasting Career

• Besides this, Karch has also worked as a broadcaster for ESPN and has even provided color commentary for the AVP on NBC broadcasts.
• He also worked as an analyst for NBC Sports during their coverage of the beach volleyball competition at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Awards and Achievements

College

• All American (1979, 1980, 1981, 1982)
• NCAA Volleyball Tournament Most Outstanding Player (1981, 1982)
• UCLA Hall of Fame (inducted 1992)

Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB: International Federation of Volleyball)

• FIVB Best Player in the World (1986, 1988)
• FIVB Best Player of the 20th Century

American Volleyball Professionals (AVP Professional Beach Volleyball)

• AVP Best Offensive Player (1990, 1993, 1994)
• AVP Best Defensive Player (2002)
• AVP Comeback Player of the Year (1997)
• AVP Most Valuable Player (1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998)
• AVP Sportsman of the Year (1995, 1997, 1998)
• AVP Outstanding Achievement Award (2004)

Volleyball Hall of Fame inducted 2001.

American Volleyball Coaches Association

• AVCA Hall of Fame inducted 2005

College Sports Information Directors of America

• Academic All-America Hall of Fame inducted 2009

Who is Karch Kiraly Wife?

Karch Kiraly is a husband. Janna, his lovely wife, was his bride. The couple has two children, two sons named Kristian and Kory. Karch and Janna are both supportive and devoted to one another. Karch Kiraly currently resides in Heber City, Utah, with his wife and children.

What is the Height of Karch Kiraly?

Karch Kiraly is a dashing young man. He stands at 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) tall. His balanced bodyweight is 205 lbs (93 kg). His other body measurements, such as chest size, waist size, bicep size, and others, are still unknown. In general, he has a healthy body and a charming personality.

Quick Facts About Karch Kiraly