A legacy built over a quarter of a century. That’s what the Huskers’ former volleyball head coach John Cook left for his successor when he announced earlier this year that he would step down from his role. A tough call to make. However, the iconic coach was also sure that this wasn’t the end of the line for his association with Nebraska, even though he passed on the torch to former student and colleague Dani Busboom Kelly. “Yeah, I’m going to miss it, but I’m going to be the biggest cheerleader,” Cook promised. And now, as the Huskers gang steps into the new era, it looks like John has already found his new calling.

In an X post from April 26 by the Voice of Husker Nation, Hail Varsity, John Cook’s new venture has come to light. Captioned, “A little different POV for John Cook tonight!” the social media update shows Cook as the Big Ten Network’s broadcast staff as the Huskers took on the Kansas Jayhawks at the iconic “Bob” for the spring match. The official B1G X account also marked the occasion with a post on the platform itself.

The retired Huskers coach recently received an incredible honor from the university authorities. Along with helping the program win 4 NCAA championships, John Cook also led Nebraska to five Big Ten titles. With numerous AVCA, NCAA, and other honors under his belt, the volleyball celebrity has been a key figure in taking the program to heights like never before. Naturally, it wasn’t surprising when Nebraska’s Board of Regents recently approved introducing the John Cook Arena inside the Bob Devaney Sports Center, along with a bronze statue to honor the former HC.

And the Big Ten’s social media post was sure to remind everyone that the Huskers will now play their home games on the stage that hails their former boss. B1G host Larry Punteney welcomes the viewers “inside the John Cook Arena,” and asks the storied coach why he thought DBK was the “right person” to take over the program. “She’s gone away from growing up here, playing here, being assistant coach here, and she went away and proved that she can do it in a place that needed a total rebuild.” Cook went on to note, once again, that Kelly has everything that’s needed to handle the pressure of being Nebraska’s head coach.

The Huskers thrashed the Jayhawks 3-0 to start the 2025-26 season on a high. But with Cook at the helm for over two decades, fans have grown to expect that. With the thunderous victory, Dani Busboom Kelly showed that her success at Louisville wasn’t a fluke, and she’s indeed capable of running the show at Lincoln. Maybe that’s why John Cook is all the more proud about leaving things behind in the hands of one of his own. Kelly was part of the Huskers’ roster from 2003-06, which she concluded by winning the NCAA D1 title in the 2005-06 season.

But were we surprised to see Cook at the Bob tonight? Probably not. In his final days as the Huskers’ boss, John kept talking about how his current team didn’t have the national championship boast despite being an incredible team. With stars like Harper Murray and Lexi Rodriguez, the squad deserved to feel what it meant to be national champions. In his last campaign as well, Cook noted how that would make the cherry on top for the seniors who were supposed to leave Lincoln by the end of the year. Evidently, it looks like he wanted to be there from the beginning for the new campaign to ensure DBK had all hands on deck to execute her master plan to take Nebraska all the way to the nation’s top, and she didn’t disappoint.

John Cook’s successor puts her best foot forward

Ever since Dani was appointed as the Huskers’ new head coach, she’s been over the moon. While she was doing remarkably well at Louisville, it was also difficult to ignore when the call came from her alma mater. She also had it in her contract with Louisville that she would be permitted to leave for Nebraska without any penalties, and DBK didn’t waste any time to ensure her predecessor, the legendary John Cook, could start enjoying his retirement. But for her, too, it was an opportunity too hard to pass.

“It’s gonna be pretty surreal. It’s something that you always dream could happen, but never know if it’s a reality. So to hear it as a reality will be a special moment for sure,” DBK told Huskers Illustrated just a few days ago. Thankfully, though, there were also many people who ensured Kelly’s moment was special indeed.

While it was bittersweet for the Huskers nation to bid goodbye to the enigma that was John Cook, a change is always welcome. But it wasn’t like everything was overhauled to do so. Many of Cook’s coaching staff stayed behind to help Kelly ease into her new shoes, while Huskers sensation Harper Murray helped to keep the mood lucid. Pestering her new boss on what she would wear for her debut as Nebraska’s coach, Murray tried her best to make sure her new boss looked dapper in her first official appearance as the Huskers’ top man. But Kelly, heavily pregnant at this point, was only looking for comfort instead of following fashion trends. “I’m gonna go with what fits at this point. No fun pregnancy blazers on Saturday,” she told Murray flatly, and stepped into the John Cook Arena in a plain black tracksuit.

Despite the banter, Murray was also excited to begin her junior year in the red stripes. “I think it’s just going to be a really, really fun day for us to really put everything that we’ve been working on out there,” the OH noted her excitement about playing the first home game of the season to Huskers Illustrated. And her season couldn’t have asked for a better start. With one service ace, Murray posted 5 kills to give Kelly the dream start to her new job. But it wasn’t just Harper who did well today.

Andi Jackson, Rebekah Alick, Bergen Reilley: everyone pulled their weight in style. No wonder Dani was all smiles in the post-match presser. “One of our biggest goals was to keep the level of play consistent no matter who was out there, and I thought we did that,” she told reporters after today’s win. But can this momentum carry on all the way to the NCAA finals this season? Can Kelly prove that John Cook was right to pass the baton to her? Tell us in a comment!