The winningest player in volleyball history. Only player to win Olympic medals in both indoor and beach volleyball.
Won Olympic Gold in Indoor Volleyball in 1984 and 1988, and Olympic Gold in Beach Volleyball in 1996.
Has won more tournaments (148) and more money ($3,159,773 ) than any other player on the AVP Pro Beach Tour.
At age 45, Kiraly is the oldest player to ever compete at the highest level - still winning AVP tournaments, while beating
competitors half his age. He has won at least one tournament in 24 of the 27 seasons he has played - spanning four decades
(1978-present). Oldest player to win a Pro Beach tournament (at 41, 42, 43, and 44-years-young).
Karch
Kiraly: [KAR-ch KEY-rye]
Birthdate (Age): November 3, 1960 (45) - Jackson,
Michigan
Hometown: Santa Barbara, California
Resides: San Clemente, California
Training
Site: Capistrano Beach, California
Height/Weight 6'2" / 205
College:
UCLA (Bachelor's degree in pre-med, biochemistry)
Married: Dec. 1986 Wife - Janna (Miller) Sons - Kristian and Kory
Gold
Medal in Beach Volleyball at 1996 Olympics
(first time event held).
Compiled 148 Career
Open Wins breaking the all-time mark of 139
$3,159,773 Career Beach Earnings - all-time leader
(at end of 2005 season)
2005 (44-years-old)
- Won one tournament (Huntington Beach) with Mike Lambert
- $54,600 winnings, 14 tournaments
2004 (43-years-old)
- Won three tournaments (Manhattan Beach, San Diego, Las Vegas) with Mike Lambert
- $50,563 winnings, 9 tournaments
2003 (42-years-old)
- Won one tournament (Huntington Beach) with Brent Doble
- $31,828 winnings, 10 tournaments
2002 (41-years-old)
- Won one tournament (Santa Barbara) with Brent Doble
- AVP Best Defensive Player
- AVP Special Achievement
- $24,490 winnings, 7 tournaments
1999
- Won four tournaments with Adam
Johnson
- $91,750 Winnings, 17 Tournaments
1998
- Won four tournaments with Adam Johnson
- Second at 1998 Goodwill Games
- AVP Sportsman of the Year
- AVP Most Inspirational
- AVP Most Valuable Player
- $125,649 Winnings, 21 Tournaments
1997
- Won four tournaments with Adam Johnson
- Received AVP "Comeback Player"
award after returning from shoulder surgery
- AVP Sportsman of the Year
- $142,349 Winnings, 17 Tournaments
1996
- Olympics
(Gold) in Beach Volleyball (first time event held)
- Compiled 11 Open wins (with Kent
Steffes)
- Won the King of the Beach
- $317,080 Winnings
1995
- Compiled 12 Open wins (four with Kent
Steffes, eight with Scott Ayakatubby)
- Won the 1995 Miller Lite Cup
- Reached the $2 million mark in prize
earnings at Hermosa Beach on August 27
- AVP Sportsman of the Year
- AVP Most Valuable Player
- $264,735 winnings, 24 tournaments played
1994
- Compiled 17 Open wins (with Kent Steffes)
- won 17 of 22 tournaments
- won US Championships
- won all 3 Cuervos, second time in a row
- skipped Manhattan due to injury - $430,636 earnings
- AVP Best Offensive Player
- AVP Most Valuable Player
- $380,586 winnings, 22 tournaments played
1993
- Compiled 18 open wins (with Kent Steffes)
- won 19 of 25 tournaments
- won all five majors (US Championships, all 3 Cuervos, Manhattan)
- won the Miller Lite Grand Prix with partner Steffes
- Won the King of the Beach
- AVP Best Offensive Player
- AVP Most Valuable Player
- $411,063 winnings, 25 tournaments played
1992
- Compiled 16 open wins with Kent Steffes
- Won 16 of 19 (13 in a row, tying the all-time consecutive open wins record set by Greg Lee and Jim Menges)
- Won the King of the Beach
- AVP Most Valuable Player
- $288,470 winnings, 20 tournaments played
1991
- Compiled 6 open wins with Kent Steffes
- Won the King of the Beach
- $177,902 winnings, 12 tournaments played
1990
- Compiled 7 open wins (5 with Brent Frohoff, 2 with Kent Steffes)
- AVP Best Offensive Player
- AVP Most Valuable Player
- $124,625 winnings, 23 tournaments played
1989
- Compiled 4 AVP Wins with Brent Frohoff, one FIVB Win with Steve Timmons
- $107,878 winnings, 19 tournaments played (16 AVP, 3 FIVB)
1988
- Played in one AVP Tournament (Manhattan) and one FIVB Tournament (Rio de Janiero) - won both
- $12,000 winnings, 2 tournaments played
1987
- One open win with Mike Dodd
- $8,575 winnings, 10 tournaments played (9 AVP, 1 FIVB)
1986
- $7,650 winnings, 9 tournaments played
1985
- Two open wins with Mike Dodd
- $10,950 winnings, 5 tournaments played
1984
- Two open wins with Sinjin Smith
- $1,300 winnings, 4 tournaments played
1979
- Won first beach tournament (Santa Cruz) with Sinjin Smith - May 27
- Entered six tournaments, won six tournaments (with Sinjin Smith and Tim Hovland)
- $2,000 winnings, 6 tournaments played
1972
- Entered first amateur beach tournament at age 11 with father, Laszlo Kiraly.
1991 Club World Championship (with Il Messaggero of Ravenna, Italy)
- MVP
- named best digger
1988 Olympics (Gold)
- team captain
- team MVP
- 137 kills, 16 block stuffs, 15 block assists,
60% kill percentage
1987 Pan American Games (Gold)
1987 Savin Cup (Gold)
- all-tournament honors
1987 NORCECA Championship (silver)
1986 World Championship (Gold)
- all-tournament honors
- named "World's Best Volleyball
Player" by FIVB President Ruben Acosta
1985 World Cup (Gold)
- MVP
1985 NORCECA (Gold)
1985 Appointed Team Captain of National Team
1984 Olympics (Gold)
- outside/swing hitter
- passer
- youngest player on team (23)
- played in all games (19), more than any other
player
- FIVB Sportsmanship Award
- connected on 74 of 158 spike attempts
1983 NORCECA (Gold)
1982 World Championship
- MVP of consolation bracket
1982 USVBA National Tournament
- MVP
1981 NORCECA (silver)
1979-1982 UCLA
Setter/Hitter (6-2)
1982
NCAA Championship (1st)
1981
NCAA Championship (1st)
1980
NCAA Championship (2nd)
1979
NCAA Championship (1st)
124-5 in Matches during 4 years
1977-1979 US Junior National Team
1979 World University Games
- starting setter
1979 Pacific Rim Tournament (1st)
- MVP
1978 Pacific Rim Tournament (1st)
1975-1978 Santa Barbara High School
- 1978 State MVP (CIF)
- Won 83 straight matches
- Undefeated in Senior season
Author,
"Beach Volleyball"
by Karch Kiraly with Byron Shewman
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