With 21 seasons, three Mid-American Conference Championships and two NCAA Tournament bids under his belt entering 2022, five-time Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year Ray Gooden has put his stamp on the program right in tune with NIU Athletics' mission: "Developing Champions in the Classroom, Competition, and Life."
The program’s all-time leader in wins (340-284) and Evanston native, Gooden has put together seven 20-win campaigns, including winning 27 matches in 2010 and 28 in 2011. Gooden has led the Huskies to three MAC Regular Season Championships in the last eight seasons with five MAC Tournament Final appearances in the last nine years.
Coach Gooden is second amongst active coaches in the conference in career wins (340) and MAC wins (194) and is fourth all-time in conference matches won. During the fall 2021 campaign, Gooden guided the Huskies to a 16-13 overall record and ended the season on a five-game win streak. From 2019-2020, Gooden led an incredible 16 student-athletes to Academic All-MAC honors and six MAC Players of the Week.
In 2018, the Huskies had a pair of All-MAC First Team selections and six student-athletes named to the Academic All-MAC Team for the second consecutive season while reaching the MAC Tournament. On Sept. 21, 2018, Gooden won his 300th career match as NIU swept Toledo 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-23).
Switching the team’s style to a 6-2 rotation featuring two setters in 2016, NIU finished 25-6 and 15-1 in conference play, tying its program record for MAC wins and setting a new record for conference winning percentage (.938). The Huskies won the Mid-American Conference triple crown - a first in Gooden’s tenure - as they won they won the MAC West, a share of the regular season with Miami (Ohio) and the MAC Tournament.
Led by MAC Player of the Year Jenna Radtke and All-MAC picks Mary Grace Kelly (first team), Meg Wolowicz (honorable mention) and Lauren Zielinski (honorable mention), NIU swept Ohio and the RedHawks in the 2016 MAC Tournament at Victor E. Court to stake claim to the program’s first championship since 2001. NIU set the attendance record versus the Bobcats as 1,001 fans packed Victor E. Court. Eight hundred twenty-four fans returned to see the Huskies defeat Miami in the final. Radtke would also garner All-Midwest region honors from the AVCA.
After a 4-8 start to the 2015 season and battling key injuries in the heart of the season, the Huskies finished 14-2 in the Mid-American Conference to win the Huskies' third Mid-American Conference Championship, defeating reigning champion Ohio along the way to snap the Bobcats' 33-match conference unbeaten streak. In the MAC opener on Sept. 25, NIU defeated Central Michigan, 3-1, for Gooden's 250th career win, becoming the second coach in program history to accomplish the feat.
The Huskies' performance on the court brought several honors at season’s end as T’ara Austin was named MAC Player of the Year and Alexis Gonzalez earned Setter of the Year awards. Austin was also named to the AVCA’s All-Midwest Region team, along with honorable mention honoree, Jenna Radtke. A total of four Huskies earned All-MAC recognition while two players picked up two All-MAC Tournament honors. In the classroom, five Huskies were named to the MAC’s Academic All-MAC team. Gooden picked up his fourth Coach of the Year honor at season's end.
During the 2014 campaign, Gooden coached the Huskies to the MAC West Division title for the second time in four seasons. NIU finished the season with a 21-10 record, including wins over Louisville, Tennessee and Northern Iowa, and a 14-2 mark in the MAC. Individually, four Huskies earned All-MAC honors and seven individuals garnered Academic All-MAC accolades.
In 2013, Gooden guided a young roster - featuring six true freshmen - to a 19-13 record and a spot in the MAC Tournament semifinals for the fourth consecutive season. With their 10-6 record in conference play, the Huskies reached double-digit wins in the MAC for the fourth straight year.
In 2012, Gooden was named the MAC's Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season after leading the Huskies to a 21-15 record and 10-6 conference ledger. He also earned his 200th career win with a 3-0 sweep of Central Michigan on Oct. 27. The Huskies posted three All-MAC and eight Academic All-MAC honorees in 2012 under Gooden's leadership.
In 2011, the Huskies made an NCAA Tournament appearance and clinched the Mid-American Conference regular season championship. NIUÂ spent six weeks getting votes in the AVCA Top-25 Poll while taking home 2011 MAC Coach of the Year, the MAC Player of the Year, and the MAC Setter of the Year honors.
Gooden was also named Co-MAC Coach of the Year in 2006 after leading NIU to the MAC West Division regular season championship. Aside from individual coaching honors, Gooden has tutored his players to an impressive list of awards themselves. Since 2002, the Huskies have had five AVCA All-America selections, 32 All-MAC selections, and 10 MAC All-Freshman selections.
Academically, Gooden’s Huskies have received the AVCA Team Academic Award in five of the last six seasons, while he’s had three Academic All-Americans, 29 Academic All-MAC selections, an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient, an NCAA Woman of the Year nominee and two Senior CLASS Award candidates.
Not only has Gooden's impact reached the Midwest, he's gone global as well. Over the past 10 years, Gooden has taken seven overseas coaching trips through USA Volleyball -- Europe (four times), Japan (twice), Argentina, Guatemala, and Brazil. He's also sent NIU players to Brazil, China, Italy, and Croatia to compete with the USA Volleyball A2 Junior National and Bring It Promotions/USA Development teams. Additionally, Gooden has served as a court coach and evaluator for the National Team tryout in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and a coach at the National College Team tryouts in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Gooden's other coaching stops include Loyola Chicago (assistant, 1997-2001), Lewis (assistant, 1997), Northwestern (assistant, 1996), and Thomas More (men's head coach, women's assistant, 1994-96).
As a player, Gooden earned two varsity volleyball letters at Ohio State and was named an All-Big Ten Conference club performer three times. An eight-time Prairie State Games competitor, he was named a three-time High School/Amateur Athletics Union Junior Olympic All-American and the 1989 Illinois High School Player of the Year out of Evanston High School.
At Ohio State University, Gooden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics in September 1994. Gooden has two daughters, Gianna Ella and Zoe Lynn, and one son, Donovan Isiah.
