HARROGATE, Tenn. – Lincoln Memorial University has tabbed John Cash to lead the second-year men's volleyball program, it was announced by Athletics Director Matthew Green on Monday. Cash will begin his duties as the Head Men's Volleyball Coach immediately.
"It is with great excitement and anticipation that we welcome John Cash as our head men's volleyball coach," Green said. "Without a doubt, John embodies everything that we look for in a teacher, a leader and a mentor of young people. John is a proven winner on the court, but more importantly, his values align wonderfully with the values of LMU Athletics. We look forward to the growth of the men's volleyball program under his guidance."
Cash comes to Lincoln Memorial after guiding the Miami East High School women's volleyball team to back-to-back state championships in 2011 and 2012 as the head coach while winning another state title there in 2016 as the assistant. Prior to Cash's arrival at Miami East High School, the program had won just 12 matches total in the previous decade, but in his five seasons as the head coach the program compiled 117 wins with only 10 losses while winning two regional championships and two state titles.
"I'm appreciative beyond words for the LMU family for bringing me into the fold," Cash said. "I'm excited to work with everybody and to be a part of the Mars Maniacs. I feel very fortunate and I'm really excited to work with these young men. We build good bonds, we build good relationships, and we are all about winning, but at the end of the day we really need to be about producing good people.
"I think that's what we have and I think that's what we will continue to build on. I think people are going to be surprised that the small town of Harrogate, Tennessee is going to become a hot bed for men's volleyball."
Cash also has experience building winning men's volleyball programs. Back in 2000, he was tasked with heading up the first men's volleyball program in the history of Fairborn High School. In the program's first five seasons, Cash guided Fairborn High to 101 wins, three district titles, one regional championship and an appearance in the state tournament. Cash's program produced eight college scholarship players.
Cash's coaching experience is not limited to volleyball alone. Over the past two decades, he has also produced successful stints as a tennis, baseball and basketball coach at the high school level. Cash has also served as a junior high and high school educator in Ohio since beginning his professional career in 1997.
Cash has received numerous coaching honors in his career. In 1995, he collected the first of many awards when he was tabbed as the Southwestern Rivers Conference Boys Tennis Coach of the Year. From 1999-2005, he won six straight Northwest Region Ohio 6 Coach of the Year awards as the men's coach at Fairborn High. In 2005, he was the State Men's Volleyball Coach of the Year. He also won back-to-back State Coach of the Year honors in 2011 and 2012 at Miami East High School.
The father of former Lincoln Memorial University All-Southeast Region women's volleyball players Abby and Samantha, Cash, a resident of New Carlisle, Ohio, earned his Bachelor of Science in secondary education from the University of Dayton in 1995. Since then, he has added four more teaching certifications.
The Railsplitters went 10-17 during the inaugural 2017 season, which included an 8-5 mark inside of Mary Mars Gymnasium. Lincoln Memorial starts the John Cash era on January 12 when they travel to Nashville, Tennessee to face Hawaii.
"I'm looking forward to building a championship caliber program that will be able to compete with all the big boys out there," Cash said. "I've said it before and I'll say it again: nowhere I've coached or been have I settled for being good enough. We're shooting for championships, that's the goal."
