Ray Gooden
	Position: Head Coach Experience: 12th Year Alma Mater: Ohio State, 1994

Entering his 12th year in 2013 as head coach of the Northern Illinois Huskies, three-time Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year Ray Gooden has put his stamp on the program right in tune with NIU Athletics' mission: "Developing Champions in the Classroom, Competition, and Life."

Ranking second all-time at in wins at NIU (205-151), the Evanston, Ill., native has put together five 20-win campaigns, including winning 27 of 35 matches in 2010 and 28 of 35 in 2011. In 2012, Gooden was named the MAC's Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season after leading the Huskies to a 21-15 record and 10-6 conference ledger. He also earned his 200th career win with a 3-0 sweep of Central Michigan on Oct. 27. The Huskies posted three All-MAC and eight Academic All-MAC honorees in 2012 under Gooden's leadership.

In 2011, the Huskies made an NCAA Tournament appearance and clinched the Mid-American Conference regular season championship. Gooden and Co. spend six weeks getting votes in the AVCA Top-25 Poll while taking home 2011 MAC Coach of the Year, the MAC Player of the Year, and the MAC Setter of the Year honors.

Gooden was also named Co-MAC Coach of the Year in 2006 after winning the MAC West Division regular season championship. Aside from individual coaching honors, Gooden has tutored his players to an impressive list of awards themselves. Since 2002, the Huskies have had four AVCA All-America selections, 22 All-MAC selections, and five MAC All-Freshman selections.

Academically, Gooden's Huskies have received the AVCA Team Academic Award in each of the last three seasons, while he's had three Academic All-America selections, 11 Academic All-MAC selections, an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient, an NCAA Woman of the Year nominee, and a Lowe's Senior CLASS Award candidate.

Not only has Gooden's impact reached the Midwest, he's gone global as well. Over the past 10 years, Gooden has taken seven overseas coaching trips through USA Volleyball -- Europe (three times), Japan (twice), Argentina, Guatemala, and Brazil. He's also sent NIU players to Brazil, China, Italy, and Croatia to compete with the USA Volleyball A2 Junior National and Bring It Promotions/USA Development teams. Additionally, Gooden has served as a court coach and evaluator for the National Team tryout in Colorado Springs, Colo., and has had several players partake in the tryout.

Gooden's other coaching stops include Loyola Chicago (assistant, 1997-2001), Lewis (assistant, 1997), Northwestern (assistant, 1996), and Thomas More (men's head coach, women's assistant, 1994-96).

As a player, Gooden earned two varsity volleyball letters at Ohio State and was named an All-Big Ten Conference club performer three times. An eight-time Prairie State Games competitor, he was named a three-time High School/Amateur Athletics Union Junior Olympic All-American and the 1989 Illinois High School Player of the Year out of Evanston High School.

At Ohio State University, Gooden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics in September 1994. Gooden is married to the former Stephanie Lynn Scarpelli and they have a five-year-old daughter, Gianna Ella, and four-year-old son, Donovan Isiah.