Nebraska volleyball legend John Cook joins Omaha Supernovas as co-owner, general manager

Legendary Nebraska volleyball legend John Cook has joined the Omaha Supernovas as the team’s co-owner and general manager. This comes just months after Cook announced he would be retiring as the Cornhuskers’ head coach. He could not stay away from the sport for too long, taking on a front office position in the Pro Volleyball Federation.

“After more than 30 years of coaching, I knew I wanted the next chapter to be just as impactful and becoming the General Manager of the Omaha Supernovas is exactly that opportunity,” Cook said in a statement.

“I’ve spent my career helping grow the game at the college level, and now I have the chance to take that knowledge and apply it in a new way, with the world’s leading professional volleyball franchise. The energy around our sport has never been higher, and the Supernovas are at the forefront of that momentum. There’s no better place than Nebraska, and no better organization than the Supernovas, to help take this sport to the next level.”

Cook first got into coaching at the high school ranks back in 1981. UCSD was the first collegiate program to offer him a job as an assistant. Flash forward to 1992, when Wisconsin gave Cook the keys to be their head coach. A seven-year stint in Madison resulted in five NCAA Tournament appearances.

However, Nebraska came calling at the turn of the century, bringing Cook back to Lincoln after previously being an assistant coach. Success instantly found them, winning the 2000 national championship with a perfect 34-0 record. Three more titles would come over the next two-plus decades and achieving an overall record of 722-103 while with the Cornhuskers.

Cook steps into a good situation as well with the Supernovas. Founded in 2023, the team’s first season was in 2024, and saw them walk away with the inaugural championship of the PVF. The 2025 campaign is currently ongoing as Omaha sits atop the league with a 21-7 record.

“I’ve always cherished my relationship with Coach Cook, and it’s incredibly special to be reuniting with him,” team president Diane Marshall said on hiring Cook. “It’s a full-circle moment, as he was the one who brought me to Nebraska when he took over volleyball program in 2000. I was there with him from the beginning and saw firsthand how he built it into the national powerhouse we see today.

“Being part of that foundation shaped how we approached building the Supernovas, and we leaned on that same blueprint at the pro level. His, vision, experience, and winning mentality is unmatched, and I’m thrilled to be working alongside Coach Cook again as he helps elevate Major League Volleyball to stand shoulder to shoulder with the world’s most elite professional sports leagues.”