COLBY, Kan. – Former Barton Community College volleyball coach and NJCAA Volleyball Hall of Fame inductee Ray Bechard has been announced as one of four members as part of the 2025 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Hall of Fame Class.

Bechard, who retired following the 2024 season after 27 years leading the University of Kansas volleyball team, will be formally honored at the USMC/AVCA Coaches Honors Banquet on Thursday, December 18, during the AVCA Convention in Kansas City, Missouri. Joining Bechard in the 2025 class is Jenny Hahn, Alan Knipe, and Tracy Rietzke.

Inducted into the National Junior College Athletic Association Volleyball Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Barton Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002, Bechard awoke a proud Cougar Volleyball program by turning Barton into a national powerhouse in his thirteen years at the helm.  Winning 716 matches against only 60 losses for a staggering .923 winning percentage, Barton won the Jayhawk West title every year under Bechard and captured the Region VI crown in all but one season.  In the team's twelve NJCAA appearances, the Cougars never finished lower than fifth nationally, finishing in the fifth spot twice, fourth place six times, third place three times, and a national runner-up finish in 1989.

Bechard and his Cougars had eight seasons of more than 55 wins with winning streaks of 59, 58, and 57 games during his time at Barton.

A Grinnell, Kansas, native, Bechard was also a member of the 1976-78 Barton men's basketball team, helping to lead the Cougars to its first-ever KJCCC West Division title in the 1976-77 season.

After leaving Barton, Coach Bechard became the head volleyball coach at KU, where he became the winningest coach in Kansas Volleyball history and led the Jayhawks to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances. Included in the 13 NCAA Tournament appearances were three Sweet 16 berths, a 2015 Final Four berth, and the 2016 Big 12 Championship, the program’s first conference title.

Bechard was a five-time Big 12 Coach of the Year (2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2025) and three-time AVCA Region Coach of the Year, leading Kansas to national prominence with six straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2012 to 2017, and a span that included 45 consecutive weeks ranked in the AVCA Coaches Poll. His 2015 squad reached the NCAA National Semifinals, while the 2016 team captured the Big 12 title with a 15-1 league record.

In total, Bechard spent 40 years coaching at the collegiate level in the state of Kansas and amassed more than 1,200 wins while coaching 26 All-Americans. Bechard also served as the AVCA President in 2010 and was on the organization’s Board of Directors for six years. Outside of his collegiate coaching, Bechard coached with USA Volleyball and was a featured speaker at numerous clinics over the years.