Best Volleyball Quotes from the Best Volleyball Player - Karch Kiraly

Check our collection of volleyball quotes from Karch Kiraly, a true volleyball legend. "Karch" is three-time Olympic gold medalist and has 148 open career wins.

Volleyball Quotes from Karch Kiraly

“Most people put a hat and classes on to go incognito. I take them off” –- Karch Kiraly

Interviewer: "Is there something about you sport fans might be surprised to know?"

"How much we have to hydrate out here in this kind of heat and humidity. I think the most I have ever taken down in one day of fluids is five gallons -- a gallon per match. If we didn't replace our fluids, we would probably keel over and die." --Karch Kiraly

One of the Funniest Volleyball Quotes from Karch Kiraly

Interviewer: "How has the game changed?"

"When I first started playing beach volleyball in 1978, the guys just stood back on defense. There was no blocking. You weren't allowed to break the vertical plane of the net. You had to stay on your side of the net. Then the rules changed about six years later. Then jump-serving came in to the game."

"Six years ago, they shrunk the court by 20 percent. They changed the scoring system from scoring only on your serve to scoring on every point. The serve can now hit the net. Bigger players are coming in to the game as a result of the shrunken court. The men's and women's tours are now together. The tour was really only fully unified in 2001. Equal prize money has come into play."

"Other than all that, it is the exact same game!" --Karch Kiraly

More Volleyball Quotes from Karch Kiraly

"We play at the world's most beautiful beaches but in the world's most challenging conditions. It is not like you play one match and you go back to air conditioning. We do it all day long." --Karch Kiraly

"Physically I'm not as strong as I was, but I try to make up for it mentally. It's a big challenge, and I relish it, competing with guys half my age." -- Karch Kiraly

“The beach game taught me great lessons about how to elevate the play of my teammate, or teammates, and how to anticipate and expect the ball so much more than the indoor game ever could. It taught me — even forced me — to be a much better all-around player. That allowed me to help our USA Olympic Team in many more ways than I ever could have otherwise." -- Karch Kiraly

"I still get excited just attending a final four, because the process is so long, so arduous, so challenging, that when it finally arrives, the adrenaline can't help but take over. I love the sense of accomplishment and camaraderie that the indoor game can engender." -- Karch Kiraly

“The indoor game is much more of a team game, having to work effectively with a group of 15 to 20 people, striving to improve every day, every drill, even every contact. The beach game is much more of an individual game within a team sport, much less about organized practices with coaches and much more about just playing the game." -- Karch Kiraly

"No volleyball play can begin without a serve, and the serve is the only technique that is totally under your control. In other endeavors, you cannot succeed without believing in yourself, and that belief is completely under your control." -- Karch Kiraly

Volleyball Quotes about Karch and the

About the pink hat tradition:

"I had four different colors of hats, one of which was pink. I just got on a roll with the pink hat. So what started out as a superstition grew into a tradition and an easy way for my family to find me at tournaments because I am the only one with cojones big enough to wear a pink hat." --Karch Kiraly

"I was laughing with somebody about it (recently): I've become relevant again. I've been waiting ever since (1980's) for it to come back." --Karch Kiraly about 1980's fashion, neon colors

Volleyball Quotes about Karch Kiraly and His Olympic Gold Medals

About his olympic gold medals:
"They are stuck away in a drawer. If you were to walk in to our house, you would find very little evidence of my career because I don't want it to be a shrine to my accomplishments. --Karch Kiraly

When asked how he prepared to win Olympic gold:
“I never did. I only prepared to win the next day.” --Karch Kiraly

About his work outfit (shorts):
“It’s the best. And the job site isn’t too bad, either.” --Karch Kiraly

About his retirement:
"It's hard to give a career like this up, when I tell my wife I'm going to the office, and it's the beach." --Karch Kiraly

Volleyball Quotes about Karch Kiraly

“Karch’s mental and physical approach to training and competition are flawless” –- Volleyball player Mike Dodd about Karch Kiraly

"The guy's in phenomenal shape, and he's a mental giant. When you couple the two together, it's a winning combination." -- Volleyball Olympian Jeff Nygaard

"He's the greatest. We'll probably never see another Karch. For me, it's like playing alongside Michael Jordan. I'm still the 14-year-old kid with his poster on my wall." -- Partner and Two-time Olympian Mike Lambert

Inspirational Quotes from the Volleyball Coaching Legend

You find inspirational quotes from the volleyball coaching legend, Coach Rezende at Volleyball Quotes pages.