By Abigail Carrera
Published: Apr. 11, 2025 at 11:48 AM CDT|Updated: 15 hours ago
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - The arena inside the Bob Devaney Sports Center will soon be named after longtime volleyball coach John Cook.
The University of Nebraska Board of Regents overwhelming approved the name change during their meeting on Friday.
Regent Jim Scheer said this had been in the planning stages for well over six months.
“We were trying to acknowledge his service and then he decided to pull the chain, but although it worked out well. We certainly had anticipated providing this honor even though he would have been an existing coach,” Regent Scheer said.
The project includes a bronze statue honoring Cook on the north side of the Devaney Sports Center, updated wayfinding signage and interior naming updates. It will be unveiled later this year.
The estimated cost of the project is $400,000, all of which will be donor funded.
Nationally recognized sculpture artist and Nebraska native George Lundeen has been commissioned to produce the life-size tribute to Cook and his career.
“John’s success as the leader of our volleyball program is unmatched,” Nebraska Director of Athletics Troy Dannen said. “His impact goes beyond what his teams accomplished on the court, from our athletic department, our university, community and state of Nebraska. To recognize John in a manner that will be visible for generations to come is a fitting honor.”
The court inside John Cook Arena will continue to hold the name of Terry Pettit Court to recognize Cook’s predecessor and fellow Hall of Famer. Additionally, the full athletics complex will continue to be named the Bob Devaney Sports Center in honor of Nebraska Hall of Fame football coach and long-time athletic director Bob Devaney.
“This is an incredible honor. I am truly humbled by all of it,” Cook said. “I am so grateful to Troy, the entire Nebraska administration and the Board of Regents for this recognition. The Bob Devaney Sports Center and Terry Pettit Court are named after two legendary coaches, and it’s an honor to be able to share the name of the facility with them. And to have a statue outside the arena just blows my mind. I’m so thankful for the run we had at Nebraska, and I know the program is in great hands moving forward. I continue to be amazed at the amount of support and all the messages I’ve received from Husker Nation since retiring in January. All of this just reaffirms what I’ve always said: There is No Place Like Nebraska.”
Cook announced his retirement earlier this year after serving 25 seasons as Nebraska’s head volleyball coach.
He compiled an 883-176 career record, including 722-103 at Nebraska, and led the Huskers to four national championships, 12 NCAA semifinal appearances, 14 conference titles and the longest sellout streak in NCAA women’s athletics history.
He has been named conference coach of the year eight times and AVCA National Coach of the Year three times.
Under Cook’s leadership, Nebraska volleyball became a national powerhouse—setting attendance records, producing five Olympians and consistently leading the country in fan support. In 2023, his team played before 92,003 fans at Memorial Stadium for “Volleyball Day in Nebraska,” the largest crowd ever for a women’s sporting event.
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