2008 Lady Cat Volleyball

"Conquering our opponents one defeat at a time!"

Bozarth's victory milestone in reach

She started out wanting to write about the news.

Instead she's making headlines herself.

Tonight in a 7 p.m. volleyball match at Central High School against Odessa Permian, Connie Bozarth will try for her 500th career victory as a coach.

It is a remarkable milestone for the one-time journalism major at Angelo State, who very nearly was never a coach at all.

The media's loss was certainly volleyball's gain.

Bozarth had been a star volleyball player at Bronte High School, winning a state title her senior year of 1981, and then went on to a stellar college career at ASU.

She just wasn't sure she wanted to make a job of the game.

So back in the summer of 1986 and fresh out of ASU, Bozarth moved to Austin all set to enroll at the University of Texas to get a master's degree in journalism.

"The superintendent at Bronte at the time called my mom and said they needed a volleyball coach. He asked her, 'Do you think Connie would be interested?' " Bozarth said. "My mom called me, and I thought for a second literally, and said, 'That would be kinda cool.' "

"So I went down the next day and interviewed and they offered me the job and there it went. I wasn't certified. I had to do emergency certification. I had never student-taught. Never taught in a classroom before.

"Looking back I guess I was young and stupid."

Hardly.

Even though Bozarth was in charge of coaching all levels of volleyball from junior high through high school (as well as coaching tennis, junior high basketball and classroom subjects), she flourished.

"I was so blessed to have so many good volleyball mentors," Bozarth said. "I think I see bits and pieces of each of those coaches in me."

Bozarth was so successful in Bronte (she won a state title in 1987) that in 1991 Seguin High School offered her a coaching job. It was a big jump in classification and pay.

"I said no," Bozarth said. "I really thought the group of seniors I had coming back (at Bronte) could win state."

They did win state in 1991, and Seguin came calling again in 1992.

"We went to Seguin, and I learned a lot," Bozarth said. "But my mom had a heart attack right after we moved down there. It was hard being away. We started to look into coming back."

One day the phone rang.

On the other end of the line was Jenny Ellisor, a junior at Lake View, whom Bozarth had met through some volleyball competitions.

"She said, 'Coach Bozarth, do you like your job out there?' " Bozarth said. "I told her, 'Not particularly. I kind of want to come back.'

"She said, 'Then will you come coach us at Lake View?' "

So Bozarth did and stayed with the Maidens from 1993 to 2001, taking Lake View on several deep playoff runs.

Before the 2002 season, legendary Central volleyball coach Nita Vannoy retired. Bozarth's husband, Tim, was already coaching at Central and their son was still young.

"We thought it would be easier for our family," Bozarth said of the cross-town move.

Almost immediately, Bozarth began rebuilding Central into a powerhouse and over the past three seasons her Central teams have gone a combined 93-13.

What's the secret to such success?

"It's changed," Bozarth said. "I tell the kids this and they don't believe me, that I used to be intense in a very different way. I was mean. I was a screamer. I guess when you get older you mellow a little bit."

Her players speak about Bozarth in glowing terms.

"She's a great coach. She's able to motivate everybody without yelling all the time," said senior Kaitlyn Standard.

"You have to teach these kids, and it's not just about volleyball," Bozarth said. "My philosophy is just to mold them as people, and they'll be good volleyball players."

"You could call her the mom of the team," said Central senior Jade Baucom.

Bozarth file

Here's a look at the coaching career of Central High School volleyball coach Connie Bozarth, who goes for her 500th career victory tonight at 7 p.m. at the Central High School gym:

School Record

Bronte (1986-91) 109-42

Seguin (1992) 6-20

Lake View (1993-2001) 213-67

Central (2002-present) 171-73

Totals 499-202