John Cook’s remarkable 25-year run as head coach elevated Nebraska Volleyball to one of the most decorated of all in the NCAA. So when Coach Cook retired, the Board of Regents decided to honor Coach Cook’s contribution with not one but two gestures. First, they renamed the playing area inside the Bob Devaney Center as the John Cook Arena, and the other was a bronze statue.

“John’s success as the leader of our volleyball program is unmatched,” said Nebraska Director of Athletics Troy Dannen. Meanwhile, the 4x national title winner felt nothing but gratitude. “This is an incredible honor. I am truly humbled by all of it,” said Cook. And now, just over a decade after its transformation into a state-of-the-art volleyball facility, John Cook Arena is about to get another upgrade.

After becoming the home for Nebraska Volleyball in 2013, the Bob Devaney Center could initially house 7,907 fans. Later, that expanded to 8,309 with a standing room area, and now AD Troy Dannen has announced yet another expansion. “Troy Dannen said that after the winter sports are over, Nebraska will expand the John Cook Arena to a roughly 10,200 capacity,” Abby Barmore posted on X.

“The lower bowl will have seat backs except for one end, the student section. Nebraska volleyball will have one big student section starting in 2026,” added the HuskerOnline writer. The addition of the students’ section will not only get students closer to the action but also free up more of the existing stands for fans. And this is something that was long overdue.

A 2024 Irish Independent report claimed that every year, the Huskers exceed the 1000 mark for the season ticket waiting list. Bumping the seating capacity up by more than 1,500 will mean more of those fans can catch their favorite volleyball stars in action. This upgrade will also take the John Cook Arena a lot closer to the old Coliseum’s capacity.

John Cook initially opposed the Nebraska Volleyball’s move to Devaney

Starting in 1976, right up until the creation of Pinnacle Bank Arena, the Coliseum was home to UNL’s basketball and volleyball teams. However, the men’s and women’s basketball teams moved to the bigger Pinnacle Bank Arena, leaving Bob Devaney Center exclusively for volleyball. That’s a move John Cook didn’t like, going as far as to call Bob Devaney “leftovers” in front of the media.

UNL’s then-athletic director Tom Osborne fumed after learning about John Cook’s very public disapproval. So he called Cook into his office and explained that he had been working behind the scenes to turn the Bob Devaney into arguably the finest volleyball arena in the nation. While the then-Nebraska Volleyball coach admitted he didn’t know, he still had some demands.

John had some affection for the old Coliseum. “He had coached there and had success there, and the fans were a little closer to the floor. He felt that was more advantageous, where Devaney was a little bit more wide open. It wasn’t quite as, I would say, fan-friendly,” Osborne told The Journal Star after John Cook retired on January 30, 2025.

Thankfully, the 3x AVCA Coach of the Year winner finally agreed with the renovation ideas. So it’s safe to say that today, John Cook will approve of the kind of expansion that’s planned for the arena. What’s more? With John Cook approving the ultimate design, a big statue of the former Nebraska Volleyball coach will also grace the entrance to an expanded arena soon.