Bruce Andrews (Builder 2012)
Bruce’s contribution to volleyball in central Newfoundland has spanned 40 plus years and has had numerous phases. As a player player Bruce starred with Grand Falls Academy under hall of fame coach Lorne Woolridge and subsequently went on to play varsity volleyball with Memorial University for another hall of fame coach Keith Taylor. Having been coached by two very talented mentors he then decided to coach after accepting his first teaching position in New World Island.
Bruce’s coaching career began as he developed the program at Coaker Academy to produce some very highly talented teams, one of which produced a AAA Boys volleyball banner. Following his time at Coaker academy there was transition to Lewisporte Regional High School which again saw a very successful program being built with teams winning a plethora of invitational, regional and provincial championship and for that period was considered one of the best male programs in the province. Having placed 4th in the gold division of the 1990-91 Dalhousie Classic was a huge feat for a high school team from Newfoundland as was finishing 6th place at the Eastern Canadian Midget Tournament in 1989-90.
The next stage of Bruce’s coaching career saw a big shift away from boys volleyball and into the female divisions. It was in the Grand Falls-Windsor region that he had significant success developing a solid girls program that had been considered to be very strong contenders in any tournament they entered. Again numerous invitational, regional, and provincial NLVA and SSNL championships resulted but it was here Bruce got his first AAAA banner as a coach. His teams also competed at eastern Canadian and Volleyball Canada championships.
Throughout the years Bruce has coached a multitude of athletes. He has had the opportunity to to see athletes progress through provincial team programs, Canada games teams, CIS Teams and National Military Teams. He has also had the pleasure to coach his son, daughter and granddaughter as well as many nieces, nephews, great nieces and cousins. He is also now coaching children and grand children of some of his former athletes in a mini volleyball program for elementary school kids in the Grand Falls-Windsor area. Garnering a deep love and respect for the game of volleyball it is only fitting that Bruce be inducted into the NLVA hall of fame as a builder which is actually his second Hall Of Fame induction as he is also a member of the Baseball Newfoundland Hall of Fame as a player in 2000.
