Evelyn Bean enters her 13th season as the head coach of the McKendree University volleyball program.
Bean is the all-time wins leader in McKendree volleyball history. She enters the 2009 season with 262 wins after guiding the Bearcats to 18 victories a year ago. She became the program’s all-time leader in victories back in 2004 and earned her 200th career win in September 2006.
Bean, who coached at Lewis and Clark Community College for 10 years prior to arriving at McKendree, reached the 500-win milestone for her career during the 2007 season. The Bearcats’ sweep of Hannibal-LaGrange College on Oct. 9 enabled Bean to reach the magical total. Adding her 261 wins while at Lewis and Clark, Bean has amassed 505 career victories.
Since joining the McKendree coaching staff in 1997, Bean has guided the Bearcats to eight 20-win seasons, including a 30-10 record in 1998. The 30 victories mark the third-highest season win total in program history.
Under Bean's leadership McKendree advanced to the NAIA regional tournament play six times, including four of the last five years. Bean has also coached the Bearcats to the semifinal round of the American Midwest Conference Tournament in each of her 11 previous seasons, including AMC Tournament runner-up finishes in 1998, 1999 and 2004.
The success of Bean’s program can be measured both athletically and academically. On the court, Bean has coached 18 All-Conference and eight All-Region performers. In the classroom the volleyball program has produced 17 NAIA Scholar-Athletes. There have also been 58 different McKendree players that have earned Academic All-Conference accolades during Bean's tenure.
In 2007-08, the Bearcat volleyball team was one of nine McKendree athletic programs to be named to the NAIA Scholar-Team list. In fact, McKendree’s 3.69 grade-point average was the highest of any volleyball program in the NAIA last year.
Bean stresses the importance of a well-rounded collegiate experience to her student-athletes. She reminds them that their main purpose is to get an education first, get the most out of college, and to excel on the volleyball court.
"I like to recruit players who do well in the classroom and also perform well on the court," said Bean. "It is a winning combination."
A native of Staunton, Ill., Bean was a three-sport star at Staunton High School, excelling in volleyball, basketball and track and field. During her sophomore year at Staunton, the Lady Bulldog volleyball squad posted an undefeated season. As a senior, Bean helped lead Staunton to the Illinois High School Association Elite Eight. Bean graduated from Staunton in 1981.
Bean continued her education at Greenville College. She competed on the Panthers' volleyball and softball teams. Bean earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from Greenville in 1985. In 2007, Bean received her master’s degree in education from McKendree.
In 1987 Bean began her coaching career at Lewis and Clark. On the volleyball court, Bean led the Trailblazers to a record of 261-206. She guided Lewis and Clark to 30 wins five times in 10 seasons, including a career-high 45 victories in 1992.
Bean will also begin her 13th season as the head coach of the Bearcat softball program in the spring. Success on the volleyball court has spilled over to the softball field for Bean at McKendree. She has led the Bearcat softball team to a 384-249-1 record during her tenure, including trips to the NAIA Softball National Championship in 1998, 1999 and 2009 along a trio of AMC regular-season titles.
