Hall of Fame
Taras Hunczak who was a Professor and a coach started his career at Rutgers in 1960. In his 44-year span, he taught at the college level and created a Division I volleyball program.
Taras Hunczak was the chairman of the History Department and served as a professor for many years teaching World History, European History and American History. He enhanced his education by traveling the world attending many International History Conferences and authored many articles and volumes.
His success continued when he established and coordinated the men’s volleyball program at Rutgers-Newark in 1975. Established as a club team, which through his leadership shortly became a Division I Varsity Team. His team won the East Coast Championship and placed second in the NAIA National Championship in 1976.
Because of Hunczak’s incredible accomplishments as a team coach, Rutgers gained both national and international recognition. They were invited to play an invitational tournament in Holland.
Taras Hunczak developed a successful Women’s Team in 1977, which also became a Varsity team within a short period of time.
Taras, who coached and coordinated both teams, served as the United States Volleyball Commissioner of the Garden-Empire Region in New York and New Jersey from 1978 to 1980. He also served as the New Jersey vice-chairman of the National Junior Olympics of the AAU.
Taras, who is a grandfather of four, has inspired, guided and has been loved by many athletes and students in his lifetime. He has been married to Olga Karpenko for 44 years and has two sons, Paul and Danny, who are both graduates of the Rutgers Law School.
