Longtime Rivier University men's volleyball coach Craig Kolek was unceremoniously fired by the school on Thrusday, with three weeks to go in the season. (File photo)

NASHUA – In a stunning move, the winningest coach in the history of Rivier University athletics – and the Division III nation, for that matter – has been relieved of his duties after nearly three decades with the school.

What the fallout may be remains to be seen.

Rivier announced on Thursday “a leadership change” in men’s volleyball, as associate athletic director/Hall of Fame head men’s volleyball coach Craig Kolek was dismissed with just less than a month left in the season.

It’s the second time a Rivier head coach has been fired in-season in the last month – women’s ice hockey coach Chris Czarnota was fired in February — and eight head coaches have either resigned or been let go at the college in the last two years – a staggering number.

“I’ve been telling people for two years that I’ve been waiting to get fired,” Kolek told The Telegraph late in the day on Thursday, and said he hopes to issue a statement in the coming days to provide further clarity on his dismissal.

The move comes just seven months after the well-respected Kolek was inducted into the Great Northeast Athletic Conference’s Hall of Fame.

Rivier athletic director Jonathan Harper would not comment on the reasons for the dismissal, citing personnel issues. However, Harper was glowing in August when speaking about Kolek.

“I realize I am biased but for my money, he is the greatest collegiate volleyball coach of all time,” Harper said, “because he has been able to dominate both the men’s and women’s games by winning the right way. … He is the first coach you think of when you think of Rivier Athletics.”

Then why this move? It occurred shortly after the men’s volleyball team’s return from a California trip to compete in a tournament against some of the best teams in the country during spring break.

Multiple sources say that Kolek was told the official reason was a procedural issue with the California trip. But Kolek, those also sources said, was also involved in an internal dispute with a high-ranking school official – not Harper – prior to the trip.

Harper was asked of his feelings about the firing, and said “Today is not the day for me to express my thought on that.”

The Rivier men’s team is currently 9-10 overall, 4-1 in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC). The regular season ends on April 6.

Kolek has coached volleyball at the university for 27 years, 22 as the women’s head coach, several of those in which he also coached the men in the spring (women’s volleyball is a fall sport).

Kolek is the first coach to reach the 400 win plateau nationally in both men’s and women’s volleyball, and has 15 conference titles combined. In 2011 he was inducted into the North Eastern Collegiate Volleyball Association Hall of Fame. He has a 514-250 record with the men’s program, and with the women, he was 445-196. He gave up the women’s job to concentrated on the men’s team and his administrative duties three years ago.

What’s next? It’s unclear whether assistant coaches Jack Hromada, Pedro Campos, or Peter Pray are staying on, or if one of them will take over as the interim coach. The team has been off since last Friday and is scheduled to resume play with a home match this coming Tuesday, March 19 vs. Eastern Nazarene.

“The University will appoint an interim head coach in the coming days and begin a national search to fill the position (of men’s volleyball) following the 2024 campaign,” the school said in a statement.

Harper did tell The Telegraph, as far as an interim is concerned, that “ideally it would be (from) within the department.”

As for Kolek’s associate AD duties, Harper said it was too early to determine on how they would be dispersed. “I’m working with our folks on that,” Harper said.