Brian Carroll

Brian started teaching Physical Education and coaching the Boys’ Varsity volleyball team at Hamburg in 1996, after graduating with honors from SUNY Cortland with a degree in Physical Education and Sports Medicine/Athletic Training.

Coach Carroll’s ascension as Hamburg Varsity Volleyball Coach happening quickly, as the team’s first breakthrough took place when Hamburg won its first ever Sweet Home Tournament in 1998. This laid the foundation for the 2000 team, which won Hamburg’s first ECIC Division Championship in over 20 years, paving the way for the 2004 and 2005 teams that went on to new heights winning 4 out of 5 local tournaments, ECIC, Section VI, Intersectional, and finally back-to-back NY State titles over McQuaid Jesuit. En route to the State Tournament, the 2004 Section VI Final win was a victory over West Seneca West, captained by 4-time Olympian Matt Anderson.  In the 2005 Section VI final, Hamburg was up against an Orchard Park team that was stacked with three Division I collegiate players, and Hamburg playing with a completely revamped lineup after graduating 5 seniors from the 2004 team. Every year after 2004 and 2005, Coach Carroll’s teams were always in conversation as a potential winner for the state title. The Bulldog brand was respected statewide.  In 2009 Hamburg won the ECIC and Section VI tournaments, and finished 2nd (26-5) in NYS, dropping in 5 sets in the finals. Then in 2013 Caroll’s Bulldogs won 4 of 5 local tournaments, ECIC Division, and the Section VI tournament, but fell to Victor, the eventual NYS Champion. The 2014 team won 4 of 5 local tournaments, the ECIC Division, and Section VI as well, but dropped extremely close matches in Far West Regionals to (again) the eventual state Champion, Victor.

One of Coach Carroll’s biggest highlights was starting a small “mom and pop” style volleyball club; Southtowns Volleyball Club, where he was involved with every player in his program (HMS/HHS and the USA Volleyball club) from the time they started in 7th grade all the way through graduation. They played in tournaments up and down the East Coast and sometimes traveled to USA Volleyball Nationals if his club team won a “Bid to Nationals”.

Coach Carroll stepped down from coaching after the 2018 season. During his tenure as the Boys’ Varsity Volleyball coach, his teams won numerous ECIC Division I and II Championships, 6-Section VI Titles, 2- New York State Championships, and 1-NYS runner up, and he was named Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2009 and the Joe Gillespie friend of WNY Volleyball 4 times in his coaching tenure.

Brian settled down in 2012 with his wife Mary, and they have four children Mary, Patricia, Brian, and Evelyn.