Former USC men's volleyball coach Ernie Hix dies - Articles

LOS ANGELES—Ernie Hix, known as “The Father of USC Men’s Volleyball” after building the program in its early years as head coach and guiding the Trojans to their first 2 NCAA championships, died of malignant melanoma on Saturday (June 4) in Alta Loma, Calif. He was 80. During his 8-year (1974-81) tenure at USC, Hix not only won NCAA titles in 1977 and 1980 and finished as runner-up in 1979 and 1981, but he laid the foundation of the nascent Trojan program and fostered its development into a national power. He won 73.8% of his matches at USC, with an overall record of 138-49. Among the All-American players he coached at USC were Tim Hovland, Dusty Dvorak, Steve Timmons, Celso Kalache, Bob Yoder, Pat Powers and Bill Stetson. Dvorak, Timmons, Kalache and Powers were Olympians. A service for Hix will be held on Monday, June 13, at 11 a.m. at Murrieta United Methodist Church (24652 Adams Ave., Murrieta, Calif. 92562, 951-677-6174). A viewing will begin at 10:30 a.m. There will be a reception immediately following at Bear Creek Country Club (22640 Bear Creek Dr. North, Murrieta, Calif. 92562, 951-677-8621). In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made in Hix’s name to the USC Men’s Volleyball Alumni and Boosters Club, c/o USC Men’s Volleyball, Galen Center, 3400 So. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, Calif. 90089-2360. “It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Coach Ernie Hix, a Trojan legend,” said current USC men’s volleyball head coach Jeff Nygaard. “He singlehandedly grew...

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