| Mike Whitmarsh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | Michael John Whitmarsh (1962-05-18)May 18, 1962 San Diego,California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | February 17, 2009(2009-02-17) (aged 46) Solana Beach, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College / University | University of San Diego | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Michael John Whitmarsh[1] (May 18, 1962 – February 17, 2009) was an Americanvolleyball andbasketball player. He won the silver medal in the men's inauguralbeach volleyball tournament at the1996 Summer Olympics inAtlanta, partnering withMike Dodd. Throughout his volleyball career, Whitmarsh earned over $1.6 million as well as 28 tournament wins.[2]
Whitmarsh playedcollege basketball for theSan Diego Toreros. He was a two-time all-conference player in theWest Coast Athletic Conference (WCAC), known now as the West Coast Conference, and led San Diego to their first-ever conference title in 1984. He played professional basketball for three years in Europe before turning to volleyball.[3]
Whitmarsh was born inSan Diego.[2] He played basketball atMonte Vista High inSpring Valley, California, and laterGrossmont College inEl Cajon. He did not take academics seriously as a freshman at Grossmont. Whitmarsh did not think that he had a chance to get anathletic scholarship untilToreros coachJim Brovelli showed interest in him. Lacking the units to be admitted into theUniversity of San Diego (USD), Whitmash committed himself to studying.[4]
The 6-foot-7-inch (2.01 m) Whitmarsh playedcollege basketball at USD. He started all 24 games as a junior, averaging 15.3 points and 5.3rebounds per game and earning all-conference honors in theWCAC. As a senior in1983–84, he averaged 18.8 points and 7.3 rebounds and led the Toreros to an 18–10 record and the1984 NCAA tournament. In the final game of the regular season againstSaint Mary's, he had 24 points and six rebounds in a 68–59 win to clinch the Torreros' first-ever WCAC title. He was named All-WCAC again, and was runner-up toJohn Stockton in the voting for theWCAC Player of the Year.[4]
Whitmarsh was drafted by theNBA'sPortland Trail Blazers in the fifth round in1984.[5] He also narrowly missed making the roster of theMinnesota Timberwolves, and played professionally in Germany for three years before abandoning basketball in favor of beach volleyball.[2] Transitioning from the indoor hard court to the soft sand of beach volleyball (which is often played under hot and humid conditions) was not easy, and he developed a reputation for cramping late in tournaments.[6]
Whitmarsh quickly adapted to the beach with his powerful blocks at the net and won over the fans.[2] In 1990, he was selected as Rookie of the Year by theAVP.[7] In 2001, he was ranked number 1 in the AVP.[7] In 2002, he was named the Best Blocker by the AVP.[7] He retired from beach volleyball in 2004.[2]
Whitmarsh was in the midst of a divorce from his wife Cindy and was found dead in a friend's garage on Wednesday, February 17, 2009, leaving behind two young daughters.[2][8] According to theSan Diego County medical examiner, he died ofsuicide frominhalation of carbon monoxide from automobile exhaust.[2][8]
1996 USA Olympic Volleyball Team (Men's beach - Gold & Silver medals) | ||
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| Qualification | _pictogram.svg) | |
| Men's indoor | ||
| Women's indoor | ||
| Men's beach | ||
| Women's beach | ||
| Coaches | ||
