Barbara L. Viera

Barbara L. Viera (1940/1941 – April 28, 2026) was an American volleyball coach. She served 27 years as head coach of the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens women's volleyball team, winning over 680 games in her career, a total that placed her among the top 10 in NCAA Division I women's volleyball history. Viera was part of the inaugural induction class to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Hall of Fame.

Early life and education Barbara L. Viera was born in Fall River, Massachusetts, in 1940 or 1941. One of four sisters, she grew up in Westport, Massachusetts. She attended Westport High School, where she graduated in 1959 as class valedictorian. She was also a four-year starter in field hockey, winning the conference title as a senior, and was part of a Westport conference championship softball team as a junior while captaining the team in her senior year. During the 1960s, she was a high school teacher and coach. While at Springfield, she heard about an opportunity to coach at the University of Delaware and interviewed there. In both the 1977 and 1980 seasons, they compiled 38 wins, a team record, while she led Delaware to the 1979 Eastern AIAW championship. At the time of her retirement, she had compiled an overall record of 687–434–4 across her career at Springfield and Delaware. Viera had international coaching experience as well, coaching U.S. teams that competed in Argentina, Barbados, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, and St. Lucia.

Matt Zabitka said that Viera "probably could've made it big coaching almost any sport. She possesses traces of Lou Holtz's ability to motivate, Joe Paterno's doggedness and Buddy Ryan's never ceasing optimism, sprinkled with a bit of Mother Teresa." The University of Delaware's volleyball court was named in her honor.

Personal life and death Viera lived in Newark, Delaware, until moving in 2024 to be nearer to her family.