University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Women's Volleyball
- Title:
- Assistant Volleyball Coach
- Email:
- john.critzer@unco.edu
- Phone:
- 970.351.2355
John Critzer is in his third season as an assistant coach for volleyball.
During his first season with the Bears he helped the team earn its 10th straight Big Sky Conference Tournament bid, along with having two first team All-Big Sky players in Ashley Guthrie and Kendra Cunningham. In the second year he once again helped UNC to a Big Sky Tournament appearance. He also helped four players earn All-Big Sky team honors
He came to UNC after being the head coach of the Madfrog Volleyball Club in the Dallas area for the past three years, while also being a teacher.Â
Before the Madfrog Volleyball Club, he was an assistant coach for two years at Stephen F. Austin. Critzer joined the staff at Stephen F. Austin after spending one year at his alma mater, The College of William & Mary. Critzer's one year with the Tribe followed four years in Colorado Springs, Colo., where he was the varsity head coach at Mesa Ridge High School from 2006-08. While at William & Mary Critzer helped lead the Tribe to a solid 18-11 record, as well as a 10-4 mark in the Colonial Athletic Conference.
Critzer helped Mesa Ridge achieve the first winning season in school history. He was also a head coach within the Colorado Juniors Volleyball Club since 2006. His Colorado Juniors teams produced nine collegiate recruits and a top-five finish at the Asics National Championships in 2009.
Before heading west, he spent four years in Roanoke, Va., coaching at the collegiate, high school, and club levels. From 2002-03 Critzer was a volunteer assistant at Radford, where he was involved in all aspects of the practice and training regimen. From 2002-06, he served at Salem High as the junior varsity head coach and varsity assistant, and developed the school's first off-season training and conditioning program. His work with the middle and outside hitters on the varsity team helped Salem reach the postseason three out of four years, and his JV team had a four-year record of 57-23. On top of that, Critzer was also an assistant and head coach with the Roanoke Juniors Volleyball Club, responsible for the training of middle hitters and helping to produce nine college signees including six Division I recruits.
Critzer is a 1997 graduate from The College of William & Mary with dual degrees in mathematics and history, and was a student and volunteer assistant coach with the Tribe from 1996-98. From 1998-2002, he served as the head coach at Lafayette High in Williamsburg, Va., helping build a program that had only existed since 1996 into a state contender while overseeing budgeting, fundraising, and community relations. His athletes had an average GPA of over 3.6 in the classroom, and reached the state finals in 1998 after winning the regional championship. The Rams reached the regional semifinals each of the next three years, and Critzer was honored as the Bay Rivers District Coach of the Year in 2002.
