Doug
Reimer

Doug Reimer was a two-time All-Canadian setter during his playing days with the University of Victoria and was honoured with the school's top student-athlete award. He served as UVic’s head coach from 1985-87, going 28-2 in 30 conference matches. He was then recruited to coach the Saskatchewan’s Canada Games team which won the gold medal in the 1989 Canada Games in Saskatoon before leading the University of Winnipeg to a U SPORTS title in 1992-93. 
 
Reimer assumed the head coaching position at the University of British Columbia for the 1994-95 season after his back-to-back coach of the year seasons in Winnipeg. He coached for three seasons at UBC before leaving to become the full-time head coach of Team Canada. He then returned to UBC for the 2000-01 campaign.

As head coach of the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds women’s volleyball team, Doug Reimer has become a legend on the U SPORTS circuit and the Canadian volleyball scene. Competing in the nation’s best conference, the coach has led his team to the national championship tournament twenty-one out of the last 22 years. This impressive run includes eight national titles, four silver medals and three bronze medals. He also won a National Championship with the University of Winnipeg in 1993, bringing his championship count to nine. He led UBC to a national-record six straight U SPORTS Championship titles from 2008 to 2013. That 2008 victory was the program’s first title in 30 years.

Reimer’s 2009-10 season could very well be the finest in U SPORTS women’s volleyball history as he led UBC to a perfect 25-0 record, the No. 1 ranking for the entire campaign, their second straight Canada West championship, and third straight national title. Dating back to midway through the 2008-09 campaign, the T-Birds won forty straight conference and playoff games. 

Individually, the veteran coach has been named U SPORTS Coach of the Year five times – the most of any women’s volleyball head coach in the country. In 2010, Doug was named the U SPORTS and Canada West Coach of the Year. He was also recognized as the Sport BC Coach of the Year while the T-Birds were named Team of the Year at the 45th annual Sport BC Athlete of the Year Awards. In 2017, the squad was inducted into the UBC Sports Hall of Fame.

His major accomplishments as head coach of Team Canada included a second-place finish at the NORCECA Olympic qualifier for Sydney and a fifth-place finish at the 1997 Summer Universiade in Sicily.

Doug, when asked about the most important aspect of coaching replied, “The key to me is building trust. Individual trust in themselves and group trust that they can handle what is coming at them. A second way to approach this is to always remember that we are teachers first and foremost, helping set the environment in a positive