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If Geoff Carlston had stayed on his couch and finished watching an episode of the “The Simpsons” while he was a student at Minnesota, his life would be completely different.
As it was, Geoff’s friend made him get up from his couch and go to the Minnesota club Men’s Volleyball team tryouts, which started a chain of events that led to his coaching debut at Hopkins High School, coaching stops in Belize as the head coach of the women’s national team, in Minnesota as a coach of the 17’s team of the Minnesota One Junior Olympics club and at the University of Minnesota as a student assistant, at Division II Concordia University, and his current stop, as head coach of the women’s volleyball team at Ohio University.
Torn ligaments in his hand during his playing days at Minnesota forced Carlston off the court, but he stayed in the game as a coach. After coaching at Hopkins High School and leading the team to a 41-17 record over his two seasons, he got involved with the Peace Corps and moved to Belize. His coaching career continued overseas when he was asked to coach the women’s national team and assist with the men’s team.
“Coaching kind of found me wherever I went, even in a third-world country,” Carlston said.
After returning to the United States, Carlston became head coach of the 17’s team of the Minnesota One Junior Olympics club and three years later became a student assistant at Minnesota while he was completing a Masters degree in social work. He left Minnesota to inherit a winless team as head coach of Concordia University. In 2002, Carlston led the team to their first national ranking and a 24-9 record, the school’s best in Division II.
Geoff was hired at Ohio the next year and immediately led the Bobcats to the top of the conference with a 28-5 record and a 15-1 conference record, both of which were school records. He would break his own records the next year, as the Bobcats finished this season 29-3 and 16-0 in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and they won the school’s first game in the NCAA tournament. Carlston was named the MAC Coach of the Year in both of his seasons at Ohio and has been the most successful coach in the program’s history with a .877 winning percentage winning percentage.
“I think Geoff is successful because he’s a great psychologist,” Ohio Athletic Director Thomas Boeh said. “He understands the game, and more importantly, he understands the players. He’s very good at getting the players to recognize their own play within the team and how to take their play to the next level.”
Senior Ashley Elliott finished her eligibility this season and also thinks that Carlston is a very knowledgeable coach.
“He thinks about all aspects of the game and he focuses a lot on defense,” Elliott said. “I think he brings the best out in his players, he focuses on the things we are good at, but he isn’t afraid to push you.”
According to those close to the team, the biggest reason Carlston has been so successful is the reason he loves coaching, the relationships he has with his players. He builds his relationship with his players through a team retreat at the beginning of the season and by having an open door policy with his players to let them discuss anything with him.
“Anyone of us can feel 100% comfortable to walk in there and talk to him about any problem, volleyball or not,” Elliott said. “I think we are all very close to him. Its not just about volleyball, it’s about our personal lives and he is like a friend.”
One of Carlston’s assistant coaches, Anne Botica, said that his relationship with the players is a major reason why the team is successful.
“They (the players) trust him and are confident in his abilities and coaching style,” Botica said. “The girls feel like Geoff really has their best interest at heart which, in my mind, makes them want to work hard for him.
“He's also someone who likes to have a impact on people, whether it's teaching someone a new volleyball skill, or helping them figure out what they want to do with their lives, Bottica said. “As coaches you help mold these players into better players and better people.
Carlston said that success breeds from good team dynamics and that if his players weren’t inviting him to their weddings after they graduate, he was probably doing something wrong.
“I would invite him to my wedding in a heartbeat,” Elliott said. “He would be one of the first people I would call.”
Despite the tremendous amount of success Carlston has had at OU, Ohio AD Thomas Boeh knows it’s very hard to keep a coach of his caliber here.
“Eventually someone will come with more resources and take him,” Boeh said. “My job is to create a situation where Geoff feels he can be successful here. We need to give him the resources and support he needs to be competitive, so when other schools come after him, he will know he can win here.”
Carlston’s goal is to win a national championship and he believes that can happen here.
“I feel there is no team in the country we can’t play,” Carlston said.
Schools have already been coming after the Plymouth, Minnesota native. Carlston has already turned down a head coaching position with a Big 12 school, but there are jobs out there that he would leave for.
“I love the mountains and I love oceans,” Carlston said.
For the time being, he is happy where he is. While the lack of things to do in the area is one of the challenges he said he has to deal with, he spends his down time watching movies with his fiancée Sara and also enjoys motocross. He is taking the volleyball program to new heights and he is making a lifelong impact on his players.
Still, the mountains and oceans that he loves can’t be far off for a coach of his caliber. Maybe then, he will finally have time to finish watching “The Simpsons.”
Mark Chalifoux is a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine and host of "Great Americans" on the SportsFan Magazine radio network. Tune in anytime this week (starting WED afternoon) to hear Superbowl coverage and interviews with NFL Great and three time SuperBowl Champ Randy Cross, Phil Sheridan from the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Bob Ryan from the Boston Globe and ESPN's Around the horn. They also have in studio rivals college football writer Wade Peery to talk about signing day. You can listen at www.sportsfanmagazine.com
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