Rick McLaughlin was named UC Santa Barbara's head men’s volleyball coach in June 2008. He is only the Gauchos' second head coach since 1978 and the fifth all-time in program history.
McLaughlin is a two-time winner of the prestigious AVCA Coach of the Year award, winning it back-to-back in 2020 and 2021. The Gauchos finished the pandemic-shortened 2020 season with a 14-2 record before a 16-5 finish in 2021 including the program's first Big West Championship. Naturally, McLaughlin was also named Big West Coach of the Year in both seasons.
In his time at the helm, McLaughlin has coached 15 AVCA All-Americans. Ryan Wilcox earned 2019 AVCA Newcomer of the Year under McLaughlin's guidance, along with two Off the Block national awards; Casey McGarry won the 2021 Lloy Ball Award, given to the nation's best setter, and Dylan Davis won the 2013 National Blocker of the Year award. Additionally, assistant coach and former player Cullen Irons won the AVCA Assistant Coach of the Year award in 2016.
He has twice led the Gauchos to conference championships, first in the MPSF in 2011 on the way to an appearance in the National Championship match. In 2021, the Gauchos won their first conference championship as members of the Big West, eventually reaching the National Championship semifinals.
During the Gauchos' MPSF days, 17 different players earned All-MPSF honors with McLaughlin in charge. Beginning 2018, 13 different players have earned All-Big West honors.
Internationally, McLaughlin spent ample time during the 2009 offseason with USA Volleyball. First he guided the junior team to the 2009 NORCEA Pan-American Cup championship in Chiapas, Mexico before assisting with the Men’s Senior National Team during their qualifications for the 2010 World Championships. Also, in 2010, McLaughlin guided the Team USA to a gold medal at the Pan American Games in Puerto Rico.
Prior to UC Santa Barbara, McLaughlin was head coach at his alma mater Loyola Marymount from 1993-2000, when the school dropped the program. He was named MPSF Coach of the Year in 1998 and 2000, also selected as 2000 ASICS/Volleyball Magazine National Coach of the Year after guiding the Lions to the semifinals of the MPSF Tournament, a first for the program.
In the fall of 2001, he joined the staff of his brother Jim - a UCSB alumnus - to help rebuild the women’s program at the University of Washington.
Before that, he began his collegiate coaching career under Marv Dunphy at Pepperdine, coaching the 1991 and 1992 seasons and helping the Waves to the 1992 NCAA Championship. McLaughlin’s second stint in Malibu (2002-05) resulted in three Final Four appearances and another national championship in 2005.
He spent one year as an assistant on Kathy Gregory’s UC Santa Barbara women’s staff in 2005, a year in which the Gauchos reached the NCAA tournament.
In 2006, McLaughlin became head women’s coach at Golden West College, where two successful years culminated in a trip to the state title game in 2007.
As a player, McLaughlin was a four-year starting setter at Loyola Marymount. When he completed his career, he ranked among the Lions’ top-10 in career assists (1,691) and service aces (58). At LMU, McLaughlin earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance in 1990. In 1999, he completed his master’s degree in education at Azusa Pacific.
