Rita Louise Crockett (born November 2, 1957) is an American former volleyball player who played for the

United States women's national volleyball team The United States women's national volleyball team participates in international volleyball competitions and friendly games, and is governed by USA Volleyball. Their last head coach was three-time Olympic gold medalist and retired dominant be ...

. Crockett was a silver medalist at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. She also won a bronze medal at the 1982 FIVB World Championship in Peru and a silver medal at the

1983 Pan American Games The 1983 Pan American Games, officially known as the IX Pan American Games () and commonly known as Caracas 1983, were held in Caracas, Venezuela from August 14 to August 29, 1983. The games were the first major international competition to inclu ...

in Caracas. Though Crockett is only , she was able to dunk a basketball on a 10' rim. This exceptional vertical jump gave her a competitive advantage against taller players on the volleyball court, and it was why she was given the nickname "The Rocket". In 2011, Crockett was inducted into the

International Volleyball Hall of Fame The International Volleyball Hall of Fame (IVHF) was founded to honor extraordinary players, coaches, officials, and leaders who have made significant contributions to the game of volleyball. The Hall of Fame is located in Holyoke, Massachusetts ...

College

Crockett played college volleyball with the

Houston Cougars The Houston Cougars are the athletic teams representing the University of Houston. Informally, the Houston Cougars have also been referred to as the Coogs, UH, or simply Houston. Houston's nickname was suggested by early physical education inst ...

, and was an AIAW All-American in 1977. Crockett was inducted into the University of Houston Athletics Hall of Honor in 2008.

Club volleyball

Internationally, Crockett played in Japan, Switzerland, and Italy over 16 years. She was a teammate of fellow Olympian

Flo Hyman Flora Jean Hyman (July 31, 1954 – January 24, 1986) was an American volleyball player. She was an Olympic silver medalist and played professional volleyball in Japan. Hyman was the most popular volleyball player in the world due to her talent ...

with

Daiei , based in Kobe, Hyōgo, is one of the largest supermarket chains in Japan. In 1957, Isao Nakauchi founded the chain in Osaka near Sembayashi Station on the Keihan train line. Daiei is now under a restructuring process supported by Marubeni ...

in the Japanese V.League, and led her team to a championship title in 1986. In 1991, she was

MVP MVP most commonly refers to: * Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition * Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering MVP may also refer to: ...

of the

Italian Women's Volleyball League The Italian Women's Volleyball League Serie A1 (), is the highest women's volleyball league in Italy. It is organized and administered by the Italian Volleyball Federation (FIPAV). It is considered one of the oldest women's top national leagues ...

with

Matera Matera (, ; Neapolitan language, Materano: ) is a city and the capital of the Province of Matera in the regions of Italy, region of Basilicata, in Southern Italy. With a history of continuous occupation dating back to the Palaeolithic (10th mi ...

, and helped Rome win the European Club Championship in 1993.

Beach volleyball

Between 1989 and 1994, Crockett played professional

beach volleyball Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two to four players each on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side o ...

, winning $90,000 in prizes. In 1989, she won the World Beach Volleyball Championship of the Women's Professional Volleyball Association with

Jackie Silva Jacqueline Louise Cruz Silva (born 13 February 1962) is a Brazilian retired female volleyball player. Silva won the gold medal in the inaugural women's beach volleyball tournament at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, partnering with Sandra P ...

as her partner. She was selected as the AVP Sportswoman of the Year in 1993 and 1994.

Coaching

Crockett was the executive director, president, and head coach of the North Florida Volleyball Association, and is now the head coach of indoor and beach volleyball at

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Westchester, Florida, United States. Founded in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the school opened to students in 1972. FIU is the third-largest univ ...

. Crockett is known professionally by her married name, Rita Buck-Crockett.

Awards

* AIAW All-American — 1977 * FIVB World Championship bronze medal — 1982 * Pan American Games silver medal — 1983 * Olympic silver medal — 1984 * Japan V. League Champion — 1986 * World Beach Volleyball Champion — 1989 * Italian Women's Volleyball League MVP — 1991 * European Club Champion — 1993 * Two-time AVP Sportswoman of the Year — 1993, 1994 * University of Houston Athletics Hall of Honor — 2008 * International Volleyball Hall of Fame — 2011

References

External links

*
Rita Crockett Hall of Fame profile
*
University of Houston Athletics Hall of Honor

Volleybox.net profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crockett, Rita 1957 births Living people American women's volleyball players Volleyball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for the United States in volleyball Houston Cougars women's volleyball players Sportspeople from San Antonio Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics American volleyball coaches Volleyball players at the 1983 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in volleyball 20th-century American sportswomen International Volleyball Hall of Fame inductees