Steve Dennis Timmons (born November 29, 1958) is an American former

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

player who represented the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

at three consecutive

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

, winning a gold medal in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

and

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

, and a bronze medal in

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

. He was named the MVP of the 1984 Olympics by the

International Volleyball Federation International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

. He was a pioneer of back row hitting. Timmons was teammates with

Karch Kiraly Charles Frederick "Karch" Kiraly ( ; born November 3, 1960) is an American volleyball player, coach, and broadcast announcer. He was a central part of the United States men's national volleyball team, U.S National Team that won gold medals at t ...

on the national team at the 1985 FIVB World Cup, the 1986 FIVB World Championship, and the

1987 Pan American Games The 1987 Pan American Games, officially known as the X Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event held in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, on August 7–23, 1987. Over 4,300 athletes from 38 countries in the Americas ...

, winning gold medals in each of these events. Timmons 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 ...

in 1998.

High school

Timmons played volleyball and basketball at

Newport Harbor High School Newport Harbor High School is a public high school in Newport Beach, California, Newport Beach, in Orange County, California, in the United States. It is part of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. The school primarily serves students in we ...

Newport Beach, California Newport Beach is a coastal city of about 85,000 in southern Orange County, California, United States. Located about southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Newport Beach is known for its sandy beaches. The city's harbor once supported maritime indu ...

. He started to play volleyball in his junior year.

College

Timmons attended

Orange Coast College Orange Coast College (OCC) is a Public college, public community college in Costa Mesa, California, Costa Mesa in Orange County, California. It was founded in 1947, with its first classes opening in the fall of 1948. It provides Associate of Ar ...

(OCC), playing for the Pirates basketball team that won the

California Community College Athletic Association The California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A; formerly CCCAA) is a sports association of community colleges in the U.S. state of California. It oversees 108 athletic programs throughout the state. The organization was formed in ...

(CCCAA) state championship, and the Pirates volleyball team that was runner-up in the state championship. Timmons then attended the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

, playing for the Trojans volleyball team that won the 1980 NCAA men's volleyball tournament, and was selected to the All-Tournament Team. He was selected as an All-American in 1980 and 1981.

Italian Volleyball League

Timmons played with Kiraly in the Italian league team

Porto Ravenna Volley Porto Ravenna Volley was a historical volleyball club from the city of Ravenna in Emilia-Romagna. Ravenna founded by a group of businessmen and lovers inspired by Giuseppe Brusi, it landed in A1 at the end of the eighties, continuing a tradition ...

, known then as "il Messaggero", where they won the

Italian Volleyball League The Lega Pallavolo Serie A is structured in several levels of importance; the highest of them is ''SuperLega'' (formerly ''Serie A1''). Since the early 1980s, many among the best volleyball players in the world play in Superlega and the overall ...

division title in 1991 and the

CEV Champions League The CEV Champions League is the top official competition for men's volleyball clubs from the whole of Europe. The competition is organised every year by the European Volleyball Confederation. Formula (2018–19 to present) Qualification A tota ...

title in 1992.

Beach volleyball

Timmons 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 ...

from 1989 to 1994. He won a tournament in Enoshima, Japan with Kiraly as his partner in 1989.

Personal life

Timmons co-founded and is the former president of Redsand, an action sports clothing and lifestyle brand that he sold to

Perry Ellis Perry Edwin Ellis (March 3, 1940 – May 30, 1986) was an American fashion designer who founded his eponymous sportswear house in the mid-1970s. Ellis' influence on the fashion industry has been called "a huge turning point" because he in ...

in 2003. Timmons was married to basketball executive

Jeanie Buss Jeanie Marie Buss (born September 26, 1961) is an American sports executive who is the controlling owner and president of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and co-owner and promoter of the U.S. women's professio ...

, daughter of

Jerry Buss Gerald Hatten Buss (January 27, 1933 – February 18, 2013) was an American businessman, investor, chemist, and philanthropist. He was the majority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning 10 l ...

, from 1990 to 1993. From 1997 to 2018, he was married to actress

Debbe Dunning Debra "Debbe" Dunning (born July 11, 1966) is an American actress, model, television host, spokesperson, and comedian. She is best known for playing Heidi on ''Home Improvement'' (1993–1999). Career Dunning played Heidi Keppert, the "''To ...

(Heidi on ''

Home Improvement The concept of home improvement, home renovation or remodeling is the process of renovating, making improvements or making additions to one's home. Home improvement can consist of projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electr ...

''), and they have three children together.

References

External links

* *
Olympedia profile: Steve Timmons

*
USC Men's Volleyball Champions

Volleybox.net profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Timmons, Steve 1958 births Living people Volleyball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics Volleyball players at the 1988 Summer Olympics Volleyball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in volleyball Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in volleyball Sportspeople from Newport Beach, California USC Trojans men's volleyball players American men's volleyball players Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Newport Harbor High School alumni Goodwill Games medalists in volleyball Competitors at the 1986 Goodwill Games Opposite hitters Volleyball players at the 1987 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in volleyball International Volleyball Hall of Fame inductees 20th-century American sportsmen