Troy Dannen: Hiring Dani Busboom Kelly a 'No Brainer' for Nebraska Volleyball
![Nov 4, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers Athletic Director Troy Dannen watches warmups before the game against the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nov 4, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers Athletic Director Troy Dannen watches warmups before the game against the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros at Pinnacle Bank Arena.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_5342,h_3004,x_0,y_79/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_huskers/01jjth82adkzjfcadmdc.jpg)
Troy Dannen and Nebraska Athletics had an eventful Wednesday.
Hours after announcing and dedicating the new Greg Sharpe Radio Booth at Memorial Stadium, Nebraska Athletics and Husker volleyball announced that John Cook, the longtime coach for Nebraska, is set to retire. Immediately following Cook's retirement news, Nebraska placed former Nebraska volleyball player Dani Busboom Kelly as the next head coach for the storied program.
Dannen appeared for his monthly radio program with the Huskers Radio Network on Wednesday night, speaking on the eventful day and how the process began in gearing up to replace Cook.
"John Cook is the greatest coach in collegiate volleyball history," Dannen said on Sports Nightly. "You hate the thought that he's not going to be in your locker room."
Dannen added that the former Nebraska coach that led the Cornhuskers for a quarter-century came to the athletic director last Thursday, Jan. 23, and stated that "it's time to think about the transition." The athletic director added that he and Cook shared the "same vision" as the plan came in place over the proceeding five days.
The Nebraska athletic director's next step was to find Cook's replacement. Dannen didn't have to look far, as Busboom-Kelly was a fan-favorite during her playing career in Lincoln and grew the Louisville Cardinal program into a contender. The Huskers' athletic director called the hire a "no brainer" for NU.
"I was fortunate she did say yes," Dannen said.
Dannen shared that Cook spoke to the Nebraska program that he would be retiring prior to the announcement publicly, and that Busboom Kelly was allowed the same for her Louisville players of her departure. He added that Nebraska strived for a "simultaneous announcement" to avoid speculation of the next lead of both programs.
“It was maybe once in a lifetime sequence of how it worked,” Dannen said, "Louisville and Nebraska worked really well together behind the scenes.”
Busboom Kelly was also allowed to speak with several Husker volleyball players Wednesday night over the phone, and will arrive back to Lincoln for an introductory press conference on Thursday morning. She is expected to arrive back at Nebraska full-time some time within the next week.
Dannen stated during the Sports Nightly program that Cook "had earned the right to name his successor" and credited the four-time national champion coach with allowing the announcements to be simulateous, not asking for a "two day or two week or whatever worship period."
Cook's farewell press conference is scheduled for Thursday at 10 a.m. CST at the Hawks Championship Center, as the retiring coach will be allowed to focus on his 25-years at Nebraska and his career achievements. Feb. 6 will hold Busboom Kelly's introduction at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Dannen added he expects that the Big Ten Network would air both across its television broadcasts.
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