John Cook and the Nebraska Huskers have a rather long history since 2000. Cook is now officially retired, but his impact on the Huskers has made them a volleyball team of great significance. The Nebraska Huskers’ success extended beyond their on-court dominance in January; Volleyball Day in Nebraska generated a significant $7,253,488 in revenue. The game against Omaha was not only a game; it was a record-breaking game with 92,003 people in Memorial Stadium and the largest attendance for women’s sports in the world.

The vibe was off the charts, and that wasn’t all. The game didn’t just deliver thrills—it hit a serious jackpot too. Concessions alone were $1,789,064, more than double the money the Huskers made in the fiscal year 2022-2023. Now that everything has turned out well for him and Nebraska volleyball, John Cook admits to getting disappointed and cannot forget the funded trip. He envisioned transforming the team into a nationally recognized powerhouse.

Nebraska Volleyball shared a video on X, and in the video, John Cook shared his early days. John Cook became the head coach of the Nebraska Volleyball team in the year 2000, and before this time, the team had not gone on any international trips. Cook presented the idea to Bill Berner, the athletic director, and said, “We want to go on an international trip. We’re allowed to do that, right?” Berner nodded and asked him where he wanted to go, to which Cook said, “China.” It seemed almost impossible considering the political climate of the time, but they made it happen.

However, there was one unforgettable moment. John Cook shared their plans at a meeting with the Beef Club, a football booster group. A guy raised his hand and asked, “By the way, who’s paying for it?” Cook said, “Well, I think Bill Berner is going to pay for it.” The response? “No, we’re paying for it out of the beef club.”

Cook recalls, “I remember that, and I walked out after that, and I said to myself, we’re going to find a way someday to be a revenue-producing sport, so we never have to listen to that again.”

Fast forward, and it’s clear that Nebraska volleyball has reached heights he never could’ve imagined. “It’s unbelievable, all the things that I’m reading and hearing,” John Cook reflected. “When you’re in the moment, just grinding to survive… I could never imagine the impact that Nebraska volleyball’s had.” And yup, they totally crushed it!

In 2023, Nebraska’s volleyball squad made history, packing Memorial Stadium with a jaw-dropping 92,003 fans for their epic match against Omaha. Yes, you heard that right. That was breaking the previous record of 91,648 set in the Champions League women’s soccer match between Barcelona and Wolfsburg.

The organizers held the event at the Memorial Stadium, which has a seating capacity of over 85,000 for football. But for this event, they had to put extra seats and standing room on the field. And, of course, they also made a million dollars in profit from the whole affair!

John Cook and his Huskers shatter records!

Volleyball Day certainly did its charm and took John Cook’s Nebraska volleyball revenue to another level. Nebraska Volleyball generated $2.7 million in 2023, and, get this, $850,000 of that came straight from Volleyball Day itself. That is unbelievable, especially when one knows that in 2022, the program was operating on a very tight margin with a profit of only $6,572.

But now? They have surpassed their previous record by more than $100,000 to reach a record of $1,227,738.

And while Volleyball Day was a huge part of that, ticket sales didn’t slack off either, racking up a huge $2.5 million, a massive jump from last year’s $300,000. But wait—there’s more!

The revenue didn’t stop at tickets. Parking, concessions, and novelties combined for a whopping $1.78 million, while ‘other revenue’ brought another cool $1.8 million. All in all, Nebraska volleyball grossed an astonishing $7 million for the fiscal year.

So, yeah, they’re definitely turning a profit in ways that go way beyond just the game itself.