Debbie Green-Vargas (born June 25, 1958) is a former American

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

player and coach. She is regarded as the greatest American women's volleyball setter of all time. Green-Vargas was a member of the U.S. National Team and won the silver medal at the

1984 Los Angeles Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

Early life

Debbie Green was born in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

in 1958. She grew up in California and attended Westminster High School. At the age of 16 Green-Vargas was a part of the Adidas Junior Team which swept the USVBA Nationals. She was named an All-American, the youngest player ever to be so honored.

Collegiate career

Despite her small stature, Green was a two time All-American setter at USC. She perfected the jump set, allowing her to meet the ball higher in the vertical plane and create a higher tempo in the offense. In doing so she was able to consistently create opportunities advantageous for her hitters. In 1977, Green led the Trojans to a 38–0 record and an

AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Inter ...

National Championships. Hers was the first college volleyball team to ever register a perfect season. Green led the Trojans to their second National Championship the following year in 1978. She won the Broderick Award, (now the

Honda Sports Award The Honda Sports Award is an annual award in the United States, given to the best collegiate female athlete in each of twelve sports. There are four nominees for each sport, and the twelve winners of the Honda Sports Award are automatically in th ...

) as the nation's best female collegiate volleyball player in 1978.

Olympic career

Green was on the roster for the 1980 Olympic, but was disappointed by the 1980 Olympic boycott. In 1984, Green helped team USA to a silver medal, at the time the best finish in U.S. women's volleyball history. This was later matched by the 2008 team, and eventually beaten by the 2021 team's gold medal.

Professional

Green played for the Los Angeles Starlites of Major League Volleyball (MLV), a women's professional indoor league, and helped the squad earn the league's first two championships in 1987 and 1988 Green-Vargas was an assistant coach for the

Long Beach State California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities i ...

women's volleyball team for 23 years, retiring after the 2008–09 season.Debbie Green Leaves The Beach The long-time volleyball coach finishes a 23-year career today
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Personal life

Green-Vargas earned a BA in communications from Long Beach State in 1992. Green married Joe Vargas and has two children, Nicole and Dana. Nicole played setter at Long Beach State, where Green-Vargas worked as an assistant coach. Dana was a setter for UCSB. In 1986, she was selected to the United States Volleyball Association Hall of Fame, and in the spring of 1986 received the All-Time Great Volleyball Player award. On April 30, 1998, Green became the first woman to enter the Orange County Sports Hall of Fame.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Green-Vargas, Debbie 1958 births Living people American women's volleyball players American volleyball coaches California State University, Long Beach alumni Olympic silver medalists for the United States in volleyball People from Westminster, California USC Trojans women's volleyball players Volleyball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in volleyball Setters (volleyball) Volleyball players at the 1983 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games Volleyball players from California