Approximately 140 community members, faculty, staff, family members, friends, and current and former players gathered Feb. 17 at the West Plains Civic Center to wish long-time Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paula Wiedemann well on her retirement.
Wiedemann, who spent 26 seasons with the Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) Grizzly Volleyball program – the last 14 as its head coach, officially retired from the university on March 1.
She was appointed as assistant coach on Aug. 1, 1997, and promoted to head coach on Feb. 9, 2009. She served as MSU-WP athletic director from July 1, 2020, to Sept. 9, 2021, and was inducted to the NJCAA Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2021.
Hosted by the Grizzly Booster Club, the Feb. 17 event featured comments and presentations from former Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Trish Knight, former Assistant Coach Bri Walsh, current Interim Head Coach Paty Figueiredo, West Plains City Council Mayor Pro Tem Josh Cotter and Planning Director Emily Gibson, 154th District State Rep. David Evans (R-West Plains), and MSU-WP Chancellor Dennis Lancaster, as well as recorded video comments from several of Wiedemann’s players, coaching colleagues and friends.
Cotter, Gibson and Evans presented Wiedemann with proclamations from their respective government organizations touting Wiedemann’s accomplishments, and Lancaster presented Wiedemann with a framed certificate from the university noting her years of service.
