Former Nebraska coach Cook joining Omaha Supernovas as co-owner

John Cook didn’t stay out of volleyball for long.

The Omaha Supernovas announced Wednesday that the four-time national championship-winning NU coach is joining the franchise as a co-owner and general manager.

“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,” Cook said in a news release announcing his appointment., which the team called “the most monumental signing in professional volleyball history.”

Cook announced his retirement in January after 25 years as the NU coach and 32 years as a college coach overall. His NU teams won four national championships and 14 conference championships.

The Supernovas said in a news release that Cook will help lead all team operations, including player and coaching staff signings.

The move will reunite Cook with Team President Diane Mendenhall, who he hired director of operations when he took over as NU coach in 2000.

I was there with him from the beginning and saw firsthand how he built it into the national powerhouse we see today. Being part of that foundation shaped how we approached building the Supernovas, and we leaned on that same blueprint at the pro level,” Mendenhall said in a news release. “His, vision, experience, and winning mentality is unmatched, and I’m thrilled to be working alongside Coach Cook again as he helps elevate Major League Volleyball to stand shoulder to shoulder with the world’s most elite professional sports leagues.”

The announcement of Cook’s hiring comes one day after the Supernovas announced they are joining Major League Volleyball, which formed a new league with the team’s former league, the Pro Volleyball Federation.

It also came on the same day that Omaha’s other pro volleyball team, LOVB Nebraska, announced a new ownership group that includes former Husker star and Olympic volleyball player Jordan Larson. Former Creighton Volleyball coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth, who also retired after the 2024 season, is the team’s president of business operations.