Ray Bechard

Ray Bechard is an American volleyball coach who served as head coach of the Kansas Jayhawks women's volleyball program from 1998 to 2024. He is the winningest coach in Kansas volleyball history and led the Jayhawks to the 2015 NCAA Final Four and the 2016 Big 12 Conference regular season championship.

Bechard announced his retirement from coaching on Dec. 27, 2024.

He was inducted into the American Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2025, and the National Junior College Athletic Association Volleyball Hall of Fame in 1998.

Bechard guided KU to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, including three trips to the Sweet Sixteen and a stretch of six consecutive bids from 2012 to 2017. The Jayhawks finished with an AVCA Top 25 ranking seven times during his tenure, including a No. 4 ranking in 2015. He holds more than 1,100 career wins across four decades of coaching, including 13 seasons at Barton County Community College.