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| UD's Barbara Viera recognized by DSBA |
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2:25 p.m., Feb. 3, 2003-- Retired University of Delaware women’s volleyball head coach Barbara Viera was presented the Herm Reitzes Award during the 54th annual Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association banquet held Thursday night, Jan. 30, at the DuPont Country Club.
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| Barbara Viera |
The award is presented each year to a Delawarean who has provided outstanding public service to sports and has dedicated their time and talents to improving the quality and enjoyment of athletics in the state at any level. The award is named in honor of former WDEL sports announcing pioneer and DSBA founder Herm Reitzes.
The Herm Reitzes Award was the second major honor for Viera in the last two months. In December, she received the 2002 American\Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Excellence in Education Award at the AVCA Convention in New Orleans.
The AVCA Excellence in Education Award honors association members who have made outstanding ongoing educational contributions to the volleyball community over a number of years.
Viera put in countless hours educating not only her student-athletes on the volleyball court but also sharing knowledge with her coaching colleagues through publications and presentations. She chaired the AVCA Education and Publication Committee, served on the association’s board of directors and played a key role in generating articles for Coaching Volleyball, the official AVCA journal.
Viera served on three USA Volleyball committees and wrote two books while a professor at UD.
“Barb's long career in volleyball is legendary,” AVCA President Stephanie Schleuder said in announcing the award. “She has been a coach, a published writer, an AVCA board member and, most importantly, she is a dedicated educator. Always the ultimate professional, Barb has been instrumental in the development of our professional journal and enhanced the educational mission of the AVCA.”
Viera served as head coach of the UD women’s volleyball team for 27 years before retiring as a full professor on Feb. 15, 2000. She completed her Blue Hen coaching career with a record of 682-429.
Viera continues to be active in the athletics community. Recently, she was named incoming president of the Delaware Women’s Alliance for Sports and Fitness. The organization’s mission is “to encourage, support and educate girls and women of all ages and competitive levels throughout the state of Delaware by promoting athletics, fitness and recreation.”
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