Rita Buck-Crockett

Rita Crockett was considered one of the best all-around volleyball players in the world. Sports Illustrated in 1984 touted her as the world’s best athlete and nicknamed her “The Rocket” because of her 42-inch vertical leap and 100 mile-per-hour kills. She was selected for the All-World Team in 1981.​

After earning All-City honors at Marshall High School, she played two years at San Antonio College before transferring to the University of Houston where she was AIAW All-American. Crockett was on the USA National Team from 1978-84 and a member of the 1980 and 1984 (silver medal) U.S. Olympic Volleyball Teams. She was so popular in Japan, where she played from 1982-86, an athletic shoe- “The Crockett Flier”-was named after her. ​

Some of Crockett’s other notable accomplishments include selection as MVP in 1986 of the Women’s Professional Association Tour and winning the World Beach Volleyball Championship in 1989. She played and coached in the U.S., Japan, Italy and Switzerland for 16 years and was selected in 1998 to be head volleyball coach at the University of Iowa. She was a coach for the Hawkeyes until 2004, when she took an associate job at Florida State University, where she stayed for a year. Crockett was named to USA Volleyball’s Women’s All-Era Team for 1978 to 2003. She established the Rita Crockett Academy in 2005 and serves as the director and head court trainer for the North Florida Volleyball Academy.