Ray Bechard reflects on career ahead of Kansas Sports Hall of Fame Induction

LAWRENCE ( KSNT ) On August 16, former Kansas volleyball head coach Ray Bechard will be inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.

Bechards legacy was etched in the states history long before his eventual induction.

Having grown up in the state of Kansas and lived in the state of Kansas my entire life, obviously an award from the state of this magnitude was pretty significant, Bechard said.

He grew up in Grinnell, a small town in the western part of the state where he hoped to become a high school or community college basketball coach.

Prior to starting my job at Lewis High School in Lewis, Kansas, the superintendent asked me if I would be interested in helping him out, and coaching volleyball for a year, Bechard told 27 Sports.

I initially declined but after another call from Mr.

Marshall I said, Sure, Ill try it.' After his time in the high school ranks, Bechard returned to his alma materBarton County Community Collegewhere he coached from 1985 to 1997.

Bechard led the Cougars to 13 conference championships and 10 Final Four appearances, while coaching 14 First-Team All-Americans.

The dream job came open here at the University of Kansas, and we thought it was a little bit of a long shot, but we went for it, Bechard said.

...got the call on a Wednesday night, about 10 oclock, I still remember how it was such a big moment for our family.

Upon taking the position at Kansas, Bechard took the program to new heights, including 13 NCAA Touranment appearances, a Final Four appearance in 2015 and a conference championship in 2016.

Bechard also racked up five Big 12 Coach of the Year honors.

It wasnt just about the wins for the all-time winningest coach in Kansas Volleyball history; it was about building up the young women he coached.

We really feel like we did it the right way, and we developed young women..

we keep in touch with a lot of these young women still, to this day, Bechard said.

While the decision to retire at the end of the 2024 was no easy one to make, Bechard knew it was the right choice with the constant support of his family behind him.

It seemed right, even though it was a difficult decision, were not looking back on it at all as anything other than a real positive thing, Bechard told 27 Sports.

As the induction approaches, in about a months time, Bechard is proud to say hes given his all to the state that shaped him.

I think weve tried to give our best, each and every day, to the stops that weve made in and to the state of Kansas, Bechard said.

Now to be honored that way, is a pretty cool deal.

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