POSTHUMOUS AWARD

HULETT Mike USA (PVPA)

Mike started with WOVD/WPV in 1995 in advance of the Atlanta Paralympics

Event involvement:

1996 USA – Paralympic Games – Men’s Head Coach
2000 Sydney, Australia – Paralympic Games – Men’s Head Coach
2004 Athens, Greece – Paralympic Games – Women’s Head Coach – Bronze Medal
2008 Beijing, China – Paralympic Games – Women’s Head Coach – Silver Medal
1998 Iran – World Championships – Men’s Head Coach
2002 Egypt – World Championships – Men’s Head Coach
2006 Roermond, The Netherlands – World Championships – Women’s Head Coach – Silver Medal
1999 ParaPan American Games – Head Coach
2003 Argentina – ParaPan American Games Head Coach
2007 Brazil – ParaPan American Games – Head Coach – Silver Medal

Mike Hulett was an International Coach from 1996-2008 and worked in the field of Administration (Governance) from 2001-2010.

Awards received:

2020 World ParaVolley Posthumous Recognition Award
Friar Award – USA Volleyball’s highest honor for a lifetime of service – George Fisher Leader in Volleyball

Official posts held:

Great Lakes Junior Boys Director & Board of Directors
Chair of Disabled Sports for USA Volleyball
World ParaVolley ParaVolley Pan America President
Member of the World ParaVolley Board of Directors

In 2003, Hulett helped form the USA women’s sitting volleyball team. After some early struggles in international competition, he developed his players into a team of medal winners. He guided the squad to the bronze medal at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games, which led to him being selected the 2004 US Olympic Committee Paralympic Coach of the Year.

From that point on, the USA women’s sitting volleyball team has proven to be a world power through increased recruiting and international competition. He led the USA team to a silver medal finish at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in China.

Around his coaching, Hulett served on the Great Lakes Region Board of Directors. He represented the Great Lakes Region for junior boys volleyball at USA Volleyball meetings. Hulett was presented the Junior Volleyball Outstanding Clinician award in 1997. In 2001, USA Volleyball honored him with its George J. Fisher Leader in Volleyball award.

Hulett owned and operated his own junior volleyball club named Adversity VBC, a club he founded in 1997 which included an eight-court volleyball facility in Chicago’s northern suburbs.

Adversity is the perfect name for his club as it tells his life story in a nutshell. Hulett endured so much in his own life and still continued to be a mentor, leader and example to all of overcoming adversity. Through it all, it is said Hulett cried just once – when he realized that he would never play volleyball again.

Hulett was selected as USA Volleyball’s 2012 Harold T. Friermood “Frier” Award recipient for lifetime achievement. The Frier Award is the highest honor USA Volleyball can bestow on an individual.

He also served as the Chair of ParaVolley Pan America for a number of years and sat on the Board of Directors for World ParaVolley as well. He passed away on 9 May 2019.

“I have known Mike since playing against him in men’s Open level USAV competition before diabetes forced all his limbs to be amputated. I mentored him as a coach for over 20 years, running/hosting Coach Education at his Adversity Volleyball program and nationally.

“He took on leadership tasks for USA Volleyball for 20 plus years and with World ParaVolleyP for over a decade as ParaPanAm Chair/President with significant impact and growth in both areas – his impact still reverberates in both organizations posthumously.

“Mike was THE Disabled Sports voice and best representative for USA and as a quad amputee, internationally as well.”

– John Kessel