By John Mesh
Hutchinson Community College head coach Drew Dallas has been named the 2024 American Community College Football Coaches Association (ACCFCA) Coach of the Year.
The award will be presented to Dallas during the 2025 AFCA Convention on Monday, Jan.13, in Charlotte, N.C.
Dallas earned his second ACCFCA Coach of the Year honor after leading Hutchinson to a 11-1 record, the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) title and the program’s second National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I national championship.
This was the Blue Dragons’ third appearance in the NJCAA national championship game.
In his first season as head coach, Dallas led Hutchinson to an 8-0 record and the program’s first NJCAA national title in 2020/21. He has an overall record of 49-5 in his five seasons as head coach, with four KJCCC titles.
Dallas won his first ACCFCA Coach of the Year honor in 2022 after leading Hutchinson to an 11-1 record and an appearance in the NJCAA title game.
University of Kansas volleyball coach Ray Bechard to retire after 27 seasons
The winningest coach in Kansas volleyball history announced he is retiring after 27 seasons.
Ray Bechard, five-time winner of the Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year, announced he would be retiring after 27 years at the helm.
Combined with his 13-year record of 716-60 at Barton Community College (then Barton County Community College), Bechard has a 40-year college coaching record of 1,212-373.
Bechard took the Jayhawks to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances and built a 496-313 record while at the University of Kansas, according to a press release on Dec. 27.
“It’s been the honor of a lifetime to fulfill the role as head volleyball coach at the University of Kansas for the last 27 years,” Bechard said in a press release from the University of Kansas athletic department.
“This professional journey was made possible by a supportive administration, a coaching staff that worked tirelessly and together and by countless young women who competed with grit and demonstrated grace while representing the university with class.”
Bechard helped lead the team to win its first-ever Big 12 Championship and finished his career with a four-year NCAA Tournament streak.
“I’m proud of what we accomplished during my time at Kansas; we built a program that was nationally competitive and nationally respected,” Bechard said.
The university announced it will now start its search for the next volleyball coach.
Bechard came to KU in 1998 following 13 seasons on the sidelines of Barton Community College in Great Bend.
During his time at Barton, Bechard posted a career record of 716-60 (.923) and coached 23 Academic All-Americans.
(FYI: Hutchinson Tribune sports writer John Mesh covered Ray Bechard and the Barton Community College volleyball team as sports writer/sports editor from 1991-1997).