Mike Dodd

Mike Dodd won a beach volleyball silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, alongside Mike Whitmarsh, losing in the final to Karch Kiraly and Kent Steffes. Dodd played in college at San Diego State, where he also played basketball, and was actually a ninth-round selection of the San Diego Clippers in the 1979 NBA Draft.

Dodd won 75 titles on various beach volleyball tours during his career, including 62 on the AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) Tour. He was a five-time champion at the Manhattan Beach Open. He was AVP Sportsman of the Year in 1994 and 1996 and AVP Most Inspirational Player from 1995-97. He was voted AVP Best Defensive Players for four consecutive years, from 1994-97, and was named best spiker by the AVP in 1989. He also played professionally in Italy for a time.

Dodd later coached beach teams, and in 2009 he was the first coach to lead teams to the men’s and women’s titles at the Manhattan Beach Open. Dodd has worked as a volleyball analyst on television and at the Olympics. He is a member of the California Beach Volleyball Association Hall of Fame.