Jody Brown enters his seventh season as head women's volleyball coach at North Carolina Central University in 2022-23.
In his first season at NCCU, Brown returned the Lady Eagles to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Volleyball Championship tournament after missing postseason the year before his arrival to Durham. The Eagles have then qualified for the MEAC Championship tournament in each of his first six seasons at NCCU.
In 2021, Brown helped NCCU to new DI era program records of total wins (11) and MEAC wins (9). NCCU capped that record setting campaign by securing the programs first-ever win the in MEAC Volleyball Championship as the Eagles knocked off Maryland Eastern Shore in the quarterfinals.
Brown guided NCCU to wins in majority of its seven matches in the 2020-21 season that was shortened and played in the spring due the coronavirus pandemic. In 2019, Brown helped NCCU win its most matches since 2012. The seven victories in conference play that season was the most since Eagles joined the MEAC in 2011 until Brown and the Eagles broke that mark in 2021.
He coached one CoSIDA Academic All-America honoree (Erika Ianovale), four CoSIDA Academic All-District selections (Kelsey Murphy, Erika Ianovale, Jessica Pilivi, Arlanda Faulkner), one MEAC Setter of the Year (Lauren Janok), Four All-MEAC Team honorees (Ammaarah Williams x2, Lauren Janok, Arlanda Faulkner), three MEAC All-Rookie Team selections (Arlanda Faulkner, Morgan Goodwin, Ammaarah Williams), five MEAC Players of the Week (Casey Curran, Arlanda Faulkner x2, Ammaarah Williams x2), eight MEAC Setters of the Week (Paige Phillips, Celene Morris x2, Lauren Janok x5), two MEAC Defensive Players of the Week (Bree Simmons, Arlanda Faulkner, Alyssa Pieh, McKayla Young) and five MEAC Rookies of the Week (Da'Nesha Miller, Christine Alcox, Arlanda Faulkner x2, Alyssa Pieh) to go along with 41 MEAC All-Academic honorees in his six seasons at NCCU.
Brown joined the NCCU athletics department with 17 years of Division I coaching experience at Florida Atlantic University, where he made three NCAA Tournament appearances. He brought 225 career wins to his credit and the Owls posted 10 or more victories in 14 of his 17 years at Florida Atlantic (NCCU has not had a 10-win season since 2007).
In his time at Florida Atlantic, Brown qualified for 11 postseason tournaments and won three conference championships. He has mentored two All-America honorees, three league players of the year, 33 all-conference selections and 140 academic all-conference student-athletes.
Brown was named Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year in 2005 after leading the Owls to a 29-3 record. Brown, who holds the all-time career coaching wins total at FAU, has been recognized by the AVCA for reaching the 200-career wins milestone mark.
Brown also started the sand volleyball program at Florida Atlantic that competed as an emerging sport in the spring of 2012. He attained immediate success in the sand with his doubles team placing ninth in the nation at the 2012 AVCA National Sand Volleyball Championships.
Florida Atlantic volleyball student-athletes have also succeeded in the classroom under Brown with his squads earning Sun Belt Team Academic All-Conference acclaim; posting FAU's top team GPA in 20 different semesters; and boasting a team GPA over 3.0 for all 17 of his seasons.
When asked about academic success Brown stated, "We are going to make sure our student-athletes are going to be professionals. That degree and that major they are in is really important. We want these young ladies to have great success. We know they are going to be professionals, but not sure if in volleyball, so we need to make sure they have a good professional background when they leave this university."
Most recently, Brown has been working for the Institute of Volleyball Performance (IVP) for the past four years and locally with the NC Volleyball Academy for the last year since leaving Florida Atlantic after the 2011-12 season. Brown was the director of coach and player development, recruiting coordinator and head coach of the 18 Diamond team with the NC Volleyball Academy.
The veteran coach has also owned and operated Jody Brown Volleyball Camps and Clinics since 1984. Brown has hosted camps and clinics nationwide and internationally, and his summer events have attracted an average of 300 to 400 campers each year.
Brown started his collegiate coaching career as an assistant coach at Graceland University (1985-89) before breaking into the DI ranks as an assistant coach at West Virginia University (1992-95). His coaching experience includes time with the Oceanside Volleyball Club (1995-2000), Australian Junior National Program (1990-91) and USA Volleyball Camps (1984-2003). He also coached the Graceland men's volleyball junior varsity team to a Collegiate Club Division II National Championship.
The Ohio product played four years at Graceland before earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in health, education and recreation in 1989. The co-captain had a strong career for the Yellowjackets, winning numerous awards including all-conference, MVP, best setter and best defense. Brown went on to play club volleyball and for the Australian State Pro Beach Tour and Tasmania State Team in 1990-91.
Brown continued his education at West Virginia, where he earned a Master of Physical Education degree in professional coaching in 1994. Brown resides in Chapel Hill with his wife, Dr. Michelle Brown, and son, Kaja.
