“I’m Not John Cook”: Nebraska’s New Coach Makes a Stern Confession

There are accomplished volleyball head coaches, and then there are legends like John Cook. Throughout his 25 years as Nebraska’s volleyball mastermind, Cook achieved everything a coach dreams of, and more. So when Cook suddenly retired in January, quoting Neil Young’s lyric, “It’s better to burn out than fade away,” all eyes fell on the replacement.

Yet, what fans didn’t know then was that they were in for another surprise. That’s because Nebraska volleyball named their former assistant coach-turned-Louisville head coach, Dani Busboom Kelly, as Cook’s successor. Despite the show of support from the athletic department, players, and Cook himself, some have raised the question of Kelly living up to her legendary predecessor’s legacy.

Yet, Dani Busboom Kelly is not one to buckle under the pressure of expectations. Instead of trying to compete with John Cook’s vast array of accolades, the 39-year-old is looking to take the Nebraska Huskers forward in hr own way. “I’m not John Cook and I never will be,” Coach Kelly said in an interview with Big Ten Volleyball on YouTube. Yet that’s not all.

DBK won’t abandon her predecessor’s methods. “A lot of what I believe in and the way I coach is part of his coaching tree, so there is some familiarity. But I want to stay true to myself,” added the former Cardinals coach, who took the team from conference to regular national championship contenders within seven years.