After spending over a decade with the national powerhouse University of Hawai‘i women’s volleyball program, Charlie Wade hopes some of that success rubs off as he begins his first season as the Warriors new head coach.
Wade was named the program’s fifth head coach in May and succeeds Mike Wilton, who guided the Warriors for the past 17 seasons and won more than 300 matches.
For Wade, this opportunity is a dream come true and he’s “excited and honored for the opportunity to lead one of the premiere programs in our sport.” He inherits a program which has suffered through three consecutive losing seasons but one that has a rich tradition with three National Championship tournament appearances and a legion of All-Americans. It is a program which has led the nation in attendance for 15 consecutive seasons, but has yet to draw a sellout since 1997.
The lure of bringing that winning tradition back to the Manoa campus and attracting standing-room only crowds to the Stan Sheriff Center is what brought Wade back to the islands after spending the past three seasons as head women’s coach at the University of the Pacific. There he compiled a 38-46 record in three seasons. His teams improved 10 wins from his inaugural season to finish with an 18-9 record in 2007. That year, his squad won three tournament titles and defeated 20th-ranked Cal Poly.
In the summer of 2007, Wade coached the USA Volleyball Federation Senior Select Team which toured Argentina.
But it was during his 11-year tenure as an assistant coach with the Rainbow Wahine – the last nine of which as head coach Dave Shoji’s right-hand man – where Wade earned his reputation as a stout recruiter and master tactician. During his time at UH from 1995-2005, the Rainbow Wahine won 11 conference titles, advanced to the NCAA Regionals 10 times, and made four NCAA Championship appearances. UH posted a remarkable 160-1 conference mark and an overall record of 310-39 for an 89 percent winning percentage during his tenure.
In postseason competition, Wade helped guide the Rainbow Wahine to 11 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, six Regional Finals (1995, ’96, ’98, 2000, ’02, ’03), and four Final Fours (1996, 2000, ’02, ’03), including the national championship match in 1996. As the program’s primary recruiter, Wade coached eight All-Americans, who earned 18 All-America certificates and two National Players of the Year (Angelica Ljungquist in 1996 and Kim Willoughby in 2003).
In addition, Wade served as head coach three times in Shoji’s absence and the Rainbow Wahine won all three matches.
Prior to UH, Wade was a veteran coach of club volleyball. In 1986, he founded the Magnum Volleyball Club, which was regarded by many collegiate coaches as one of the top junior programs in the country. He also served as head coach of the Anaheim, Calif., club and coached eventual Rainbow Wahine standouts Kristal Attwood, Kee Williams, Sarah Chase, Heather Bown and Jessica Sudduth and former UOP standout Tracy Chambers.
Wade also founded the Southern California Volleyball Institute in 1993 and served as its executive director. The 17,000-square foot volleyball training facility featured four courts, offices, weight and training rooms and a pro shop.
During his first five years at UH, Wade also coached the Rainbow Asics club team, which featured Rainbow Wahine All-American Lily Kahumoku and former Minnesota setter and current U.S. Olympian Lindsey Berg.
Wade’s first stint in collegiate coaching was at Cal State Fullerton, where he was an assistant for two years while finishing school. He earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in 1991.
Wade is married to former University of Washington player Tani Martin. The couple have two children, Makana (4) and Kainoa (2).