Terry Gamble enters his seventh season as the Blinn College head volleyball coach with 30 years of experience coaching at the collegiate level. He was inducted into the NJCAA Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2007 after winning three NJCAA volleyball championships and three NJCAA Coach of the Year awards.
In his career, Gamble has compiled a record of 1,064-345 (.755 winning percentage). He ranks first in all-time wins among active NJCAA coaches with 969. In addition, Gamble ranks sixth in all-time wins.
A majority of Gamble’s coaching career has been spent at the junior college level. From 2005 to 2008, Gamble served as the head coach at Iowa Western Community College. In 2006, Gamble was voted the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Coach of the Year after guiding the Reivers to the NJCAA national championship that year. He also was named the AVCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year and coached the AVCA Player of the Year in 2006. He led IWCC to a seventh-place finish at the National Championships in 2007 and a fourth-place finish in 2008.
Gamble had a successful run as head coach at St. Clair County Community College from 1999 to 2004, where he led the Skippers to national championship titles in 2000 and 2004 and to a third-place finish in 2001.
His first coaching stint was at Mott Community College from 1995 to 1998. In 1998, he led Mott to a ninth-place finish at the National Championships.
Gamble has been inducted into the Port Huron Sports Hall of Fame and Iowa Western Sports Hall of Fame. Gamble's coaching honors also include three District C Coach of the Year awards, three District D Coach of the Year awards, one District 8 Coach of the Year, seven Regional Coach of the Year honors, and eight Conference Coach of the Year accolades. He has won nine regional championships, six state championships, and 15 conference championships, and has coached 17 All-Americans, 20 Academic All-Americans, three NJCAA National Players of the Year, 18 all-tournament players, 20 regional players of the year, 37 all-region tournament players, 14 conference players of the year, 38 all-state/ all-region players, 55 all-conference and 32 all-conference honorable mention players. He also was selected the president of the NJCAA Coaches Association in 2007.
The 2023 campaign was yet another successful season for Gamble, who helped the Buccaneers to their fourth straight berth in the NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championship tournament. Blinn posted a 34-7 record during the season. Freshman named the Region XIV Coach of the Year following a 38-1 regular-season finish.
In the spring of 2021, the seventh-ranked Buccaneers made their first trip to the NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championship since 2015, where they finished in fifth place. After claiming the Region XIV conference title with a 12-1 record and finishing second in the Region XIV tournament, Blinn went 3-1 in the national tournament. The Buccaneers ended the season with a 27-3 record.
Gamble was named the Region XIV Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons with the Buccaneers, while five players earned first-team all-conference honors. In addition, the volleyball team led Blinn’s athletic programs with a 3.62 team grade point average (GPA).
Gamble came to Blinn after four seasons as Jacksonville State University’s head coach, where he took the team to three conference tournaments. Gamble spent four seasons at McNeese State University, one season as the head coach at the former Midland Lutheran College, now Midland University, and spent one year as a first assistant coach at Texas Tech in 2009.
Freshman outside hitter Kellen Dorotik earned NJCAA Division I All-America status with a second-team nod. Six Buccaneers were named to the Region XIV all-region team, including first-team selections Dorotik and sophomore middle blocker Brooke Pattschull. Dorotik was also named the region's co-Player of the Year. Seven of Gamble's players signed with four-year universities.
Gamble led the Buccaneers to a third consecutive berth in the NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championship tournament in 2022. Blinn posted a 34-11 record during the season before qualifying for nationals. Sophomore hitter Kierslynn Wright and sophomore libero Ellie Turner led NJCAA Division I in kills and digs, respectively, while Wright was named the Region XIV Newcomer of the Year. Wright and Turner were named first- team all region, while Taylor Glendening earned a second-team nod. LaNeah Lara was recognized as an honorable mention.
The Buccaneers enjoyed an incredible season
in the fall of 2021, posting a 39-4 record and a perfect 16-0 mark in Region XIV. The Buccaneers went on an impressive run during the season, winning a 37 consecutive matches. Blinn captured the Region XIV regular-season championship
as well as the conference tournament title, and qualified for the NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championship for a second consecutive season. The Buccaneers finished eighth in the nation.
Also in the fall of 2021, Gamble was named one of four 2021 American Volleyball Coaches Association Two-Year College Region Coaches of the Year. Additionally, Gamble was named the Region XIV Coach of the Year following a 38-1 regular-season finish.
In the spring of 2021, the seventh-ranked Buccaneers made their first trip to the NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championship since 2015, where they finished in fifth place. After claiming the Region XIV conference title with a 12-1 record and finishing second in the Region XIV tournament, Blinn went 3-1 in the national tournament. The Buccaneers ended the season with a 27-3 record. Gamble was named the Region XIV Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons with the Buccaneers, while five players earned first-team all-conference honors.
In addition, the volleyball team led Blinn’s athletic programs with a 3.62 team grade point average (GPA). Gamble came to Blinn after four seasons as Jacksonville State University’s head coach, where he took the team to three conference tournaments. Gamble spent four seasons at McNeese State University, one season as the head coach at the former Midland Lutheran College, now Midland University, and spent one year as a first assistant coach at Texas Tech in 2009.
A majority of Gamble’s coaching career has been spent at the junior college level. From 2005 to 2008, Gamble served as the head coach at Iowa Western Community College. In 2006, Gamble was voted the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Coach of the Year after guiding the Reivers to the NJCAA national championship that year. He also was named the AVCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year and coached the AVCA Player of the Year in 2006. He led IWCC to a seventh-place finish at the National Championships in 2007 and a fourth-place finish in 2008.
Gamble had a successful run as head coach at St. Clair County Community College from 1999 to 2004, where he led the Skippers to national championship titles in 2000 and 2004 and to a third-place finish in 2001.
His first coaching stint was at Mott Community College from 1995 to 1998. In 1998, he led Mott to a ninth-place finish at the National Championships.
Gamble has been inducted into the Port Huron Sports Hall of Fame and Iowa Western Sports Hall of Fame. Gamble's coaching honors also include three District C Coach of the Year awards, three District D Coach of the Year awards, one District 8 Coach of the Year, seven Regional Coach of the Year honors, and eight Conference Coach of the Year accolades. He has won nine regional championships, six state championships, and 15 conference championships, and has coached 17 All-Americans, 20 Academic All-Americans, three NJCAA National Players of the Year, 18 all-tournament players, 20 regional players of the year, 37 all-region tournament players, 14 conference players of the year, 38 all-state/all-region players, 55 all-conference and 32 all-conference honorable mention players. He also was selected the president of the NJCAA Coaches Association in 2007.
