Kiraly - Greatest Ever, Closing In On History

by Rick Capone

For Release: July 18, 1998

NEW YORK, N. Y. - He is unquestionably, the greatest volleyball player ever to play the game, both indoor and on the beach. Yet of all the great athletes in the history of the United States, both living and dead, unless you are a volleyball fan, you hardly hear his name.

Karch Kiraly. His name has been synonymous with volleyball in the United States since the 1980s. And as he closes in on Sinjin Smith's all-time victory mark of 139 beach titles, it is hard to understand why his name is not seen or heard more in the print and broadcast media.

You hear about other athletes though. You hear about the NBA's Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. You hear about the NFL's John Elway, Dan Marino, and even former player, Joe Montana. You hear about golf pros like Tiger Woods and Greg Norman. You hear about those players all the time. But you hardly hear the name of Karch Kiraly.

Is it because they are the best in their sport or because their sport is more in the mainstream of sports in the USA? Or maybe it is because their sports market their players better.

Record for record though, Kiraly stands atop the sport of beach volleyball as well as any of those other athletes stand atop their own sport.

For example, how about Michael Jordan, who is arguably the best basketball player of all time. Jordan has many records, including having won six world championships, five NBA MVP awards, six NBA Finals MVP awards, 10 NBA scoring titles, and has been on the NBA All-Defensive first-team nine times, been a first-team NBA All-Star 10 times and won the NBA All-Star game MVP three times. He plays a sport that is in the public's eye, so he gets the press.

How about Joe Montana, who is arguably the best NFL quarterback of all time. Montana has won four Super Bowls, three Super Bowl MVP awards, one NFL MVP award, and numerous other awards. He also plays a sport that is in the public's eye, so he gets the press.

But how about Tiger Woods? A good, young golfer. He's won a lot of money in the little time he's played professionally, but, he's only won a handful of "regular" tournaments and only one major - The Masters. He's not a "great" golfer yet, but he's in the media all the time. Is it because golf is a more popular sport?

Kiraly's name, on the other hand, you only hear if you are a fan of volleyball or if, by chance, you come across one of the few beach volleyball events televised on late night television. And that's to bad because he is one of the greatest athletes in American sport's history and the best ever in the sport of volleyball.

We're talking the "Babe Ruth" of Volleyball and not many people are taking the opportunity to watch him play while they can. For not only did he help revolutionize the sport in the United States, but he is also volleyball's most decorated player.

Kiraly is also as close to a "shoe-in" to be elected into the Volleyball Hall of Fame as they come.

On top of these records, he is one of the most "approachable" athletes in any sport. At any given tournament, you can find Kiraly talking to the fans and signing autographs. Not many other professional sports athletes get out and mingle with the crowd when they are playing an event. And even though he is one of the sports top stars and could demand to be treated as such, he doesn't.

So why doesn't he get more media recognition? Why doesn't he seem to get the publicity he deserves?

Those are two questions that are really hard to answer, but questions that Kiraly doesn't pay much attention too. His main concern is playing volleyball, the sport he grew up with and still loves to play. And if you watch him play, you can see why he is the greatest.

He always plays every match at 110 percent. He has also been know to go all out in his practice sessions as well. He never lets up and because of that, whoever he plays with never lets up for fear of looking bad. Kiraly is one of those athletes that makes anyone he plays with play better, which is the mark of a great player.

His defense and passing are still the best in the game. His hitting is back to the way it was before his 1996 off-season shoulder surgery -- he can still pound the ball down as good as ever. His shot selection is also good, as he is getting even smarter as he gets older. And his trademark shot, a cut-shot against his body from the left side of the court, is better than ever.

At this year's Goodwill Games, volleyball fans will get a rare opportunity to see him play against some of the best players in the world. And he and his partner, Adam Johnson, will be playing for one of the few championship titles that he has not won. It is an event he has never played in before, so it is a challenge he has yet to achieve. And new challenges are what drive champions and Kiraly, being the competitor that he is, will be gunning to win the event.

Kiraly is a champion and like any champion he deserves to be recognized as the best in his sport. Maybe during these Goodwill Games he will rise to the challenge once again and add a new title to his legend. And maybe along the way, he will finally begin to gain some of the recognition he deserves in the United States as one of the great athletes of our time.