HAYWARD, Calif. -- After more than 40 years in the coaching profession and 22 seasons at the helm of the Cal State East Bay volleyball program, Jim Spagle is hanging up his cowboy boots. He will retire at the end of June with a career record of 466-228, the most victories by any coach in any sport in the University's 57-year history of intercollegiate athletics. 

"I've had a very long and rewarding career, and I feel like this is the right time," said Spagle. "I have always tried to give everything I have to the teams and players I've coached, and in return, I have received rewards beyond anything I could have imagined and built relationships that will last a lifetime. Coaching is a noble profession and I am thankful to have had the opportunity to coach for so long." 

When Spagle joined the Pioneers, it was nine years before the University changed its name from Hayward to East Bay, six years before the libero position was added to college volleyball, and five years before rally scoring was instituted. Almost instantly, he turned a non-scholarship program that had never finished above .500 in its history into a national powerhouse at the Division III level.

"It is impossible to adequately summarize the contributions Coach Spagle has made to Pioneer Athletics during his time here," said Director of Athletics Jason Carmichael. "Volleyball has been a source of pride for this University for more than two decades thanks to him. He built a program that has had tremendous success in both Division II and III, and his teams have consistently achieved at a high level academically. Jim's ability to adapt over the years has been impressive, and the positive impact he has had on the lives of countless Pioneer student-athletes is undeniable." 

A banner rookie campaign in 1996 saw Spagle guide the Pioneers to their first 20-win season in school history. In just his third season, his squad finished 31-7 and earned the program's first berth in the NCAA Division III West Regionals, beginning a streak of 11 straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

Spagle was named West Region Coach of the Year by the Division III Volleyball Coaches Association after guiding the 2002 edition of the Pioneers to their first ever NCAA DIII West Regional title and a No. 1 ranking in the American Volleyball Coaches Association national poll during the regular season. That team finished with a 32-2 record, setting program marks for victories and winning percentage (.941). 

"I've coached hundreds of amazing student-athletes at Cal State Hayward and East Bay," Spagle recalled. "It's easy to focus on the All-Americans and All-Conference players, and I'll never forget them. But they are only part of the story. I will also remember all the special athletes that trained hard, believed in what we were trying to accomplish, and helped the volleyball program build a reputation as a national power."

The Pioneers posted three straight 30-win seasons under Spagle's tutelage from 2002-04, highlighted by a program record 24-match winning streak in 2004. In 2007, he was voted Association of Division III Independents Coach of the Year after leading CSUEB to a 29-5 record. 

Following the 2008 season, Spagle guided the program through the difficult transition to NCAA Division II and the California Collegiate Athletic Association, meeting new standards for eligibility, scholarships, and compliance. His teams made an immediate mark at the Division II level, posting winning records in two of their first three seasons. In just their second year in Division II, before the program was even postseason-eligible, Spagle's Pioneers notched a 21-7 record and finished in second place in the CCAA. That season his peers selected him as CSUEB's first ever CCAA Coach of the Year.

In 2012, Spagle became the first Pioneer coach in any sport to record 400 career coaching victories. In 2016, he led CSUEB to its first berth in the CCAA Tournament. His squad made its second straight postseason trip this past fall in 2017, reaching the CCAA semifinals on the back on Deja Thompson, who became the program's first Division II All-American.

"At the very top of my many career goals was to leave the volleyball program stronger than it was when I began as the head coach 22 years ago," said Spagle. "With a smart, dynamic team -- the best group I have ever coached -- returning for the 2018 season, combined with a terrific group of incoming freshman, I am supremely confident this program will accomplish amazing things, not only next fall, but for many seasons to come." 

Spagle is a native of Oregon and a graduate of Cal State Fullerton. Prior to his tenure with the Pioneers, he enjoyed a tremendously successful stint as the women's volleyball coach at Chabot College in Hayward, leading the Gladiators to a 131-22 record and four straight appearances in the State Finals from 1992-95. Before that, he captured five straight Mission Valley Athletic League championships as the head coach at James Logan High School in Union City.

"I am grateful to all of the incredible individuals across our campus who have always supported me and the volleyball program, and in turn, made my job so very special," Spagle concluded. "I now look forward to the next chapter in my life, and I wish nothing but the very best for the East Bay athletic department and its programs. My heartfelt thanks go out to all!"