John Rodgers, an assistant coach at the University of Alabama for the last five seasons, has been named the head volleyball coach at UNC Wilmington.

Rodgers, 40, takes over the helm of the program following the resignation of China Jude, who led the Seahawks for two years. He becomes the eighth coach in the 27-year history of the program.

“We’re very excited to have someone with John’s experience and expertise involved with our program,” said Peg Bradley-Doppes, UNCW’s director of athletics. “He is one of the up-and-coming volleyball coaches in the country. We’re confident he will get the program moving in the right direction and bring in new energy right away.”

A native of St. Louis, Rodgers began his career at Southwest Missouri State, where he served as an assistant for former coach Linda Dollar from 1989-96. The VolleyBears won league tournament titles and earned NCAA berths in 1990 and 1993. The 1992 squad competed in the National Invitational Volleyball Championships, and SMSU compiled a record of 137-78 during his five-year stint in Springfield.

He moved on to Alabama in August 1996 and has helped energize Coach Judy Green’s program. The Crimson Tide went 22-8 in the fall and won the Southeastern Conference Western Division championship last year with an 11-4 record in the SEC, setting a school mark for conference victories. Alabama’s 22 wins represented the most in the program’s modern history and ranked third highest in the SEC.

“I’m very excited about the opportunity,” Rodgers said. “It is very appealing because of the potential of the program and the conference. We should be able to recruit good athletes and turn the program around. UNCW has a lot of offer, both athletically and academically.

“We just need to develop some stability in the program. We need to get good student-athletes in there and set a foundation to build on.”

Rodgers has been involved in international coaching the last two summers, directing one of two United States teams competing in the Nike Sibillini Invitational Tournament. He guided his group of collegiate players to a fifth-place finish at the international competition in Italy.

Rodgers, who holds USAV level I & II certifications, has been very active in amateur volleyball. He was the assistant facility coordinator for the USVBA Nationals in 1992 and was a zone coordinator for the U.S. Olympic Festival in St. Louis in 1994. He was also a tournament coordinator at the AAU Nationals in 1995 and served as a commissioner for the Show-Me-State Games from 1993-95.

The veteran coach has also been active as a player, competing as a setter in USVBA action for 15 years. He was a member of the 1989 team that won regional and zonal championships and has played in various Mid-South Volleyball Tour events.

Rodgers earned his bachelor’s degree in commercial recreation from Southwest Missouri State in 1985 and completed his master’s in sports administration at Wichita State in 1986.