Aldis Berzins
| Aldis Berzins | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Aldis Imants Berzins | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | October 3, 1956 (age 68) Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College / University | Ohio State University | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Volleyball information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Outside hitter | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Aldis Imants Bērziņš (born October 3, 1956) is a Latvian-American former volleyball player who was a member of the United States national team that won the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.[1] He also won a gold medal at the 1985 FIVB World Cup in Japan, where he was selected as the best digger.[2]
College
[edit]Bērziņš was a star outside hitter on the Ohio State volleyball team.[3] He played with future Olympic teammates Rich Duwelius and Marc Waldie at Ohio State.[3] In those years, he led the Buckeyes to four straight Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) championships and four appearances in the NCAA Final Four.[3] He graduated from Ohio State in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in astronomy.[3]
Bērziņš was inducted into the Ohio State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002.[3]
Awards
[edit]- Three-time All-MIVA first-team selection
- Olympic gold medal — 1984
- FIVB World Cup gold medal — 1985
- FIVB World Cup All-Tournament selection — 1985
- Ohio State University Athletics Hall of Fame — 2002
Coaching
[edit]Bērziņš has been head coach of the men's volleyball program at Stevenson University since October 2016.[4]
Personal life
[edit]Bērziņš has worked as the Director of Information Technology for the Special Olympics.[1]
Bērziņš and his wife, Mara, have three sons, Kris, Mik, and Dainis, all of whom have played volleyball.[4] Mik was on the first NCAA National Championship team for Ohio State in 2011, and Dainis was on the National Championship team of Loyola University Chicago in 2014.[4] Kris played volleyball professionally in Europe.[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Aldis Berzins". Olympedia. Archived from the original on April 30, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
- ^ Krastev, Todor. "Men Volleyball V World Cup 1985 Japan - 22-01.12 Winner United States (1st)". Todor66.com. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e HAIRE.14@OSU.EDU (August 10, 2012). "Gold-en Days of Summer Olympics Past – Part 5". Library.osu.edu. Archived from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d "Aldis Berzins". Stevenson University Athletics. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
External links
[edit]- Aldis Berzins at Olympedia (archive)
- Aldis Berzins at Olympics.com
- Volleybox.net profile
- Aldis Berzins at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
- Aldis Berzins at the Latvijas Olimpiskā komiteja (in Latvian) (English translation, archive)
 | ||
- 1956 births
- Living people
- American people of Latvian descent
- Volleyball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics
- Ohio State Buckeyes men's volleyball players
- Olympic gold medalists for the United States in volleyball
- American men's volleyball players
- Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics
- 20th-century American sportsmen