Since accepting the Pepperdine men’s volleyball head coaching position in 1977, Dunphy has led his volleyball teams to three national championships and many runner-up finishes including last year’s second-place finish to their conference-rival UCLA.
Dunphy doesn’t confine his talents to the occupation of coach, however, he also teaches. Like he’s not just your average coach, he’s not just your average teacher. According to Pepperdine Athletic Director John Watson, "He’s the BEST teacher on campus."
Dunphy’s campus ties extend farther back than just his teaching and head coaching position. Dunphy was a middle blocker for the Waves and earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in 1974.
From there, Dunphy remained at Pepperdine as an assistant volleyball coach under Harlan Cohen and Burt DeGroot.
Since taking the head coaching responsibilities, Dunphy’s 21 years with Pepperdine have been broken up into 16 seasons as the Waves’ front man and two leaves of absence.
Dunphy’s first leave began in 1979, the year after he had earned his master’s degree in physical education from USC and after he had led his team to Pepperdine’s FIRST national championship.
Following this championship season, Dunphy headed to Brigham Young University where he began work on his doctorate degree in PE. After getting his doctorate, he returned to Pepperdine for the 1982 season.
While earning his doctorate, Dunphy participated in a study that would add a lot to his coaching style. He studied under John Wooden, UCLA’s famous basketball coach from 1949 to 1975. Dunphy did his dissertation on the coaching strategies of Wooden, who led his team to 10 NCAA Championships in a 12-year period.