Success on the volleyball court has always followed Garth Pischke. While he is being inducted for his own athletic abilities, Pischke has also proven very adept at teaching and coaching the game. At 6’5”, slim yet powerful of build, his leaping and smashing ability brought new meaning to the term “kill” on the court.

His quest for volleyball excellence began when he tried out for the Silver Heights High School varsity boys’ team in the fall of 1970. He not only made it, but became the focal point of the team...a characteristic he demonstrated with every different squad he played for. He played for two Canadian junior championship teams from Manitoba while still in high school, adding the Most Valuable Player award 1973.

However, his greatest individual achievement may have been being selected to the Canadian Olympic team while in his Grade 12 year, a spot he would maintain through the 1976 Montreal Games. Pischke played for three Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (C.I.A.U.) championship teams, two of them with the University of Winnipeg and the third in 1977-78 with the University of Manitoba. In two of those university championship seasons, he was named MVP. While coaching at U of M, Pischke found time to play professional volleyball in the International Volleyball Association and played in the United States Volleyball Association. Pischke has also proven to be a very successful coach. In his years at the University of Manitoba, Pischke has led Bison teams to 333 wins and counting. The Bison have won 10 Great Plains Athletic Conference titles and four CIAU crowns. And as a personal award, Pischke was named GPAC Coach-of-the-Year six times and CIAU top coach on three occasions.

He came out of semi-retirement in an amazing comeback to play at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic games. He coached the national team for two Olympic cycles before resuming his coaching duties at the U of M.