NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN head men's volleyball coach Jeff Campbell, the program's longest-tenured head coach and all-time leader in wins, announced on Monday his intention to retire. 
 
Associate head coach Theo Edwards will serve as head coach for the Matadors beginning with the 2023 season, which opens on Jan. 5 at the UCSB Invitational.
 
"After taking some time to think this decision over, I felt that this was the right time to retire from coaching at CSUN," said Campbell. "It has been an honor and privilege to work with so many great people over the past 31 years. The support I've received in my time at CSUN has been greatly appreciated. With that said, I will be retiring and looking forward to starting the next chapter in my life. I will always remember the great memories and how special CSUN was to my family and me." 
 
Campbell, who concluded his 25^th season as the Matadors' head coach last spring, retires as the winningest coach in program history with 330 career wins. One of the most successful coaches at CSUN over the past 17 years, he amassed 279 wins (nearly 14 wins per season) since the 2003 season while annually playing in the country's most demanding men's volleyball conference.
 
"Although I have been at CSUN for a short time, I am well aware of the positive impact Jeff brought to the university and the student-athletes in the men's volleyball program," said CSUN Director of Athletics Shawn Chin-Farrell. "Jeff's efforts over the past 30-plus years have been instrumental in elevating the men's volleyball program, and we wish him and his family the best with the next chapter in their lives. 
 
"As we look forward, we're excited to have Theo Edwards continue to build on the winning culture in place with a focus on being nationally competitive for years to come," Chin-Farrell said.
 
A former Matador student-athlete, Campbell joined the CSUN coaching staff in 1991 and served as an assistant coach for seven years. He played in 86 sets of 24 matches and had 358 kills, 214 digs, 23 assists, and 17 aces for the Matadors during the 1988 campaign. He currently ranks tied for third in block solos (36) and fourth in digs per game average (2.49) on the single-season lists.
 
Campbell became just the third head coach in the 26-year history of the program when he was named the interim coach on Aug. 7, 1997. Following a national search, Campbell was officially hired to the post on April 8, 1998.
 
After the Matadors peaked with a No. 3 national ranking in 1991 and a spot in the 1993 NCAA Championship match under John Price, Campbell took over and steadily led the Matadors back toward the top. After being out of the USA Today/AVCA Coaches Poll from 1998 to 1999, the Matadors were ranked in the Top-15 for most of Campbell's tenure.
 
Campbell and the Matadors tasted postseason success for the first time in 2005. That season, Northridge matched the 2004 team in terms of win total (19), its highest since 1993. In addition, the Matadors claimed postseason wins over No. 7 Stanford at home and stunned No. 2 UCLA on the road. In 2005, Northridge wound up with its second straight No. 6 national ranking, and Campbell joined the 100-win club with a 3-0 win over 15th-ranked George Mason on Mar. 16.
 
The 2000 squad put Matador volleyball back on the map. Although it finished under .500 with a 12-14 record, CSUN reached a No. 10 national ranking in the Feb. 29 USA Today/AVCA Poll and a No. 9 national ranking by Volleyball Magazine on Mar. 27. The Matadors defeated UCLA on Feb. 17, for their first win over the Bruins since 1992.
 
CSUN made history in 2008, becoming the first team in school history to achieve a No. 1 national ranking at the Division I level. On Mar. 17, following a 3-2 win over No. 5 Pepperdine, the Matadors earned 227 points – including seven first-place votes – to tie Penn State for the top spot in the CBS College Sports Network/AVCA Top-15 Poll.
 
The Matadors would hold a national No. 1 ranking six times under Campbell; once in 2008, twice in 2009 (Mar. 2, 9), and three times in 2010 (Feb. 1-15).
 
Campbell and the Matadors made more history in 2010, becoming just the second CSUN team, and first since 1993, to reach the NCAA Tournament. Coming off their ninth consecutive postseason appearance in 2010, the Matadors won 23 matches for the second time in the last three seasons and tied for second in the MPSF, their highest finish ever. 
 
The remarkable 2010 season, which saw the Matadors reach the MPSF Tournament championship for the first time since 1993, also saw CSUN earn its eighth consecutive top 10 final national ranking (No. 3).

Campbell has been instrumental in 17 players earning All-America honors, most recently Daniel Wetter in 2022. Under Campbell's watch, CSUN has also had 55 players earn all-conference honors since 1998. CSUN has also been one of the team leaders in conference all-academic honors. In 2006, CSUN had a record of eight student-athletes garner MPSF Academic All-Conference honors, the most of any of the 12 schools in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The Matadors have now had an impressive 48 student-athletes earn All-Academic honors in the last 10 years.
 
In addition to his assistant coaching duties for the Matadors, Campbell served as one of the assistants to U.S. National Team Head Coach Fred Sturm at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Ga., and as the assistant coach for both the U.S. National "B" Team that toured Italy in the summer of 1994 and the U.S. Olympic Festival-'93 in San Antonio, Texas.
 
After graduating from Chatsworth High School in 1984, Campbell played one season at UCLA and earned second-team United States Volleyball Association All-American honors before coming to CSUN. He was the Matadors' team captain and earned second-team All-American and All-Western Intercollegiate Volleyball Association honors during the 1988 season.
 
Campbell played for the 1984 U.S. Junior National Pacific Rim team that toured China. In 1987, he was a member of the U.S. National Team that competed at the World Games in Yugoslavia.
 
A native of Chatsworth, Calif., the 6-7 former middle blocker graduated with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology at CSUN in 1992. He and his wife Robin have three children, Liam, Anna and Brendan.
   
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