After 10 seasons and three Ontario University Athletics East Coach of the Year awards, York’s women’s volleyball head coach Hernan Humana is retiring from university coaching.
The School of Kinesiology & Health Science professor will continue his teaching duties and serve as an academic advisor for the volleyball program.
Humana began his coaching career at York in 1985, filling in for men’s volleyball coach Wally Dyba while on sabbatical. That year, Humana led York to the Ontario University Athletic Association East Championship. Humana returned to the coaching ranks at York in 1993-1994, this time guiding the York women’s team to an OWIAA crown, while filling in for then-head coach Merv Mosher, who was also on sabbatical.
Right: Hernan Humana
The 1997-1998 season was Humana’s first as head coach of the women’s volleyball team. That year he led the squad to an appearance in the OUA Championship and was named OUA Coach of the Year.
“Hernan’s coaching and knowledge of the sport, along with his strong belief in the value of sport both on and off the court, have provided strong leadership to our Volleyball program for the past 10 years,” said Patricia Murray, York’s director sport & recreation. “He has made a very valuable contribution to the sport program at York University.”
In 1996, Humana took over as head coach of the Canadian Olympic beach volleyball team of John Child and Mark Heese. Child and Heese won a bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta games, the first-ever Olympic medal for Canada in the sport of beach volleyball. As a result of this performance, the Coaching Association of Canada presented Humana with the prestigious “Wittnauer Coaching Excellence Award.” At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, he guided Child and Heese to a fifth place result.
Born in Chile, Humana received his Licenciatura degree (physical education) from the University of Chile prior to moving to Canada. For 11 seasons, he was a member of the Chilean National Volleyball team, while also coaching the country’s juvenile national team.
His playing career continued at York University in 1980-1981, where he played under the guidance of Dyba. Academically, Humana completed two programs at York, an Advanced Coaching Certificate and a Master’s Degree in Sociology of Sport.
Earlier this season, Humana was the featured instructor and presenter in a series of beach volleyball seminars at the Catholic University of Chile. In mid-December, he was in Santiago, Chile, to deliver a players camp and a coaches seminar.
This story was submitted to YFile by Stephen Reid, sport & recreation information assistant in York’s School of Kinesiology & Health Science in the Faculty of Health.