Walt Stefani

Walt Stefani was a standout athlete at Lackawanna High School and Grove City College (PA), but it is his work as a coach and administrator that has elevated him to elite status in WNY volleyball.

Just one year after taking over the coaching duties for Orchard Park High School boys modified basketball team in 1978, Walt also assumed the helm of the varsity volleyball program. In just four years, he built a powerhouse volleyball team that captured the divisional championship, and Walt was named Western New York Volleyball Coach of the Year in 1982.

His success didn’t spike with just one championship. Walt’s volleyball teams won 18 Divisional Championships, 10 Section VI D-1 Championships, and 3 Regional New York State Championships. He twice led his teams to undefeated seasons, (1991 and 2008). Both undefeated teams won all matches, never going to a deciding set, including every divisional/non-divisional match, all WNY tournaments, the Division 1 title, the Section VI D-1 Title, and the NYS Regional State Championships. The 2008 team also was awarded Citations of Excellence from the NYS Governor, the Erie County Legislature, and the Orchard Park Legislature.

Walt also coached the Empire State Games Western Region Scholastic Boys Team in 1985 and 1986, and the Empire State Games Western Region Open Men’s Volleyball Team for five years (1996-2000). He has served twice as a Mizuno High School All-Star Volleyball Coach, and was on staff with the U.C.L.A. National Traveling Volleyball Camps for nearly a decade.

Walt finished his 34-year volleyball coaching career with an impressive overall record of 613–190, sporting a .763 winning percentage. During his career, Walt won the Western New York Volleyball Coach of the Year award 8 times; twice earned the coveted WKBW “Super 7 Volleyball Coach of the Year” award; and was named New York State Volleyball Coach of the Year in 1994.

Walt Stefani is an inductee in the WNY Men’s Volleyball Hall of Fame (2011), the Lackawanna High School Sports Hall of Fame (2014), the NYS Section VI High School Sports Hall of Fame (2015), the NYS Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2016), and the Orchard Park High School Sports Hall of Fame (2020).