“Sometimes he was stubborn,” said 2024 graduate Merritt Beason via USA Volleyball just a few months ago. “But he was willing to adapt and really do anything for what we needed as a team.” These words from a former disciple of John Cook, while describing the ever-evolving nature of the former Nebraska Huskers volleyball coach a few months ago, really sum him up. Quite impressive, considering where he was in his career before eventually calling it quits earlier this year. But talk about making a comeback, as Cook is finally returning to Nebraska, leaving the entire volleyball community in disbelief.

On Monday, Sportico reported that the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF), including the Omaha Supernovas, had joined hands with Major League Volleyball (MLV) for a merger that valued the combined leagues at a whopping $325 million. On Tuesday, the PVF made things official. “In a landmark move for the sport, Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF) and Major League Volleyball have announced plans for a single, united league poised to elevate professional women’s volleyball in the United States. The unified league will be branded as MLV,” read the announcement. And now, John Cook has been roped in, too.

John Cook has joined Omaha Supernovas as a co-owner and General Manager. The update came just a few hours ago, as it continues to be touted as one of the biggest developments in pro volleyball history. Be it from signing players to assembling the coaching staff, the 69-year-old will be overseeing all of the team operations as the Supernovas gear up for free agency period that will begin on Thursday, August 7 at 4 p.m. CDT.

“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,” said Cook while speaking with the team. “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.”

Cook insisted that the energy around volleyball has only doubled, backing the Supernovas to continue leading the momentum and further elevate the sport to the next level. He also gave his shoutout to NovaNation in a video shared by the Nebraska side on Instagram, where he expressed his gratitude for becoming the GM and acquiring partial ownership of the team.

This is indeed quite a huge piece of news surrounding the Omaha Supernovas, and more importantly for John Cook, who surely returns to the sport with his volleyball pedigree. No wonder ardent fans around the world lost it over this update.

John Cook sends volleyball community into disbelief

Fun fact: Now that John Cook has become the GM of the Omaha Supernovas, he will be reporting directly to President Diane Mendenhall. Consider it a full-circle moment, as 25 years ago, while having taken reins of Nebraska Volleyball in 2000, it was Cook himself who hired Mendenhall for the first-ever Director of Operations. This made her the third person in NCAA history to acquire such a dedicated volleyball operations role.

So it was obvious for even Diane to get ecstatic over the news. “I’ve always cherished my relationship with Coach Cook, and it’s incredibly special to be reuniting with him,” she said, while hailing his unmatched vision, experience, and winning mentality. No wonder renowned broadcaster Emily Ehman was herself left starstruck, writing, “Well, this is sick 👀👏”

Sure, not certainly as a coach, but considering John Cook’s experience, we bet there’s a lot the “Wolfie lover” will do to further elevate Major League Volleyball, making it stand shoulder to shoulder with the world’s most elite professional sports leagues. “No one could have prepared me for this. // Husker Nation x Novas Nation. Congrats, Coach!” one fan wrote.

883–176 (.834) career record—fifth-best winning percentage in NCAA Division I volleyball history—4x Championships, 12x NCAA semifinal appearances, 9x Big 12 titles, and 5x Big Ten titles, the one of the three coaches to have won the AVCA National Coach of the Year award three times surely doesn’t need an introduction as the Novas as certainly in for a treat to see such a reputed name help them build towards a potential championship run in the MLV’s regular season starting January 2026. “Holy moly, what a move for the ‘novas!” wrote another.

To be fair, there were signs that the successor to legendary coach Terry Pettit at Nebraska was never truly planning to leave the Cornhusker State for good, even though he had moved to Wyoming to spend more time with his granddaughter. That’s because columnist Tom Shatel reported that Cook still kept “a condo” in Nebraska under his name in order to remain involved with NU athletics as well.

But who would have thought his post-retirement plans would include this move? “This is great! I knew that Coach Cook would find something cool to do after retiring from Nebraska, and today that was announced!” insisted a netizen.

On one hand, witnessing all of these changes has surely excited everyone about the upcoming season, especially for the Omaha Supernovas. However, some are still not quite impressed, like this fan, who clearly expressed his frustration by drawing up a unique parallel: “OMG this is so dumb. This is like Nebraska dragging Tom Osborne out at every football-related thing for the last 30 years. Let it go, Nebraska. JFC.”

Regardless, the real talking point now is how the partnership between John Cook and the Omaha Supernovas will shape the future of professional volleyball, with fans eagerly awaiting what’s to come this January at the CHI. Either way, share your views in the comments below.