The Southern California Indoor Volleyball Hall of Fame inducted its 15-member class of 2018 at a gala event at the Highway 39 Event Center in Anaheim on May 5. Those honored included Mike Bright, Col. Edward DeGroot, Scott Fortune, Brian Gimmillaro, Brent Hilliard, Flo Hyman, Ron Lang, Liz Masakayan, Nina Matthies, Elaina Oden, Pat Powers, Larry Rundle, Steve Salmons, John Speraw, Ernie Suwara, and Byron Shewman (Lifetime Service Award).
Scott Fortune: A Laguna Beach High School and Stanford alumni was a two-time All-American (1987, 1989) who went on to win gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and bronze as the captain of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic team. Fortune also was a member of the 1996 Atlanta Games side and was named to the Pac-12 All-Century Team.
Fortune took the opportunity to acknowledge all the coaches “who helped [his] journey,” from his high school coach to his Olympic coaches, all of whom taught him something different. He also showed his gratitude to Karch Kiraly and “the pioneers who were able to create the sport of volleyball.”
For the last 20 years, he has been involved in the financial governance of USA Volleyball. Currently the president of the USA Volleyball Foundation, he has served on the Finance & Budget, Audit, and Nominating & Governance Committees for USAV. “It’s about giving back. It’s about the sport, and people who have helped you get to the peak.” Fortune has helped USA Volleyball grow “from a $6 million budget… to a $30 million budget today. And look at the sport, it’s thriving, and it’s been a great run to be part of that.”
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