A Great Volleyball Player Who Never Played

What makes a great athlete, or a great Volleyball player? Is it skill, is it attitude, is it mental toughness, is it emotional control, is it all of these attributes, or is it something else altogether? I recently chatted about this topic with Barry Bonnell, former Major League Baseball (MLB) player and perhaps the “strongest” person I know – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. And speaking of strong people, the song of the day is “Stronger” by Kelly Clarkson.  

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone
What doesn’t kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter”

Barry is an elite athlete who excelled at every sport he’s ever played and also played MLB professional baseball for ten seasons. Barry graduated from Milford High School, outside Cincinnati,  in 1971 where he stood out as a baseball and basketball star, as well as being unusually talented in tennis, swimming, diving, track, and even table tennis. I also attended Milford High School but moved from the district after my sophomore year. For four years, however, (1965 – 1969) I was a teammate of Barry in a variety of sports and watched him grow into a talented athlete and an exceptional human being.

He was drafted by MLB in 1970 – 1971 but turned down that offer to enroll at Ohio State University on a full baseball scholarship. Barry “walked on” the Ohio State basketball team and became a starter for the freshman team in the era when freshman could not play on the varsity squad. In other words, he beat out the future starters of the varsity for a starting position as a walk on.

In the spring of 1975, he left Ohio State to play professional baseball in the minor leagues after being the first pick of the first round in the 1975 MLB January Draft – Secondary Phase for college players who had been previously drafted out of high school.  Barry made it to the big leagues in the spring of 1977 and played there for the next ten years. He played third base and all three outfield positions, hit “.300” or better twice and finished with a .272 career batting average and 355 RBI. Injuries and illness forced Barry into early retirement from MLB at age 32.

Unfortunately, though, back in 1971, neither one of us had really heard of or knew much of anything about Volleyball. But, I have no doubt Barry would have excelled in Volleyball just as he did in every other sport he played.

Ironically, Barry was at Ohio State when the Men’s Volleyball Coach was a young visionary by the name of Doug Beal. Undoubtedly, in 1972, Coach Beal would have enjoyed a 6’3” Outside Hitter (OH) with an approach over 11’, extraordinary eye-to hand coordination and arm speed to hit .300 against MLB pitching, and quick enough to start as a guard for a Big Ten powerhouse basketball team and play center field in MLB.  Barry’s athletic skill set matched up perfectly with the five responsibilities of an OH.

1) Pass well enough to start an offense and enable the team to remain “in system.” Barry’s superior vision (he flew as a commercial airlines pilot after retiring from MLB), eye-to-hand coordination (.300 MLB hitter), and outstanding movement skills would have enabled him to master passing a Volleyball.

2) Hit with accuracy and skill to produce points for the team.  A .300 MLB hitter with a vertical over 11 feet will have the arm speed, the lift, and the eye-to-hand coordination to smack the daylights out of a Volleyball.

3) Block with enough skill to assist the defensive alignment of the team. An eleven foot vertical and the timing to hit an MLB fast ball tell me Barry would have been a formidable blocker.

4) Play defense with enough skill to facilitate the team’s transition to offense. The speed and movement necessary to play MLB center field and guard in the Big Ten are remarkable indicators that defense would have been a strong suit for Barry.

5) Serve accurately and aggressively to facilitate the production of points for the team.  The serving motion is unique, but I believe an athlete with Barry’s skills would have been jump serving for points in the early 1980s when it became fashionable.

So, would Barry Bonnell have been a great Volleyball player? Yes, without doubt or hesitation.  More importantly, though, he’s a great human being and person. Maybe we’ll see him someday playing in the Senior Olympics and tearing up the court.

 For now, though, let’s grow Volleyball together, please!  See ya tomorrow.