Costas Theocharidis enters his second season as an assistant coach on the men's volleyball team.
Originally from a small town in a remote, rural part of Greece, Costas was a dominant outside hitter for the University of Hawai'i (UH) men's volleyball program from 2000 to 2003. “Greece Lightning,” as he was affectionately called by fans, had one of the most decorated careers in NCAA Volleyball history. He became the NCAA Division I all-time leader in total kills and attacks per set (rally scoring era), the first-ever four-time first-team All-American in US college men’s volleyball history. He was the only international player to be a two-time NCAA National Player of the Year, and the first-ever Academic All-American of the Year for UH.
He will be inducted into the UH Circle of Honor (Hall of Fame) in 2026.
After retiring from the sport at 23, he worked for twenty years in corporate America in a variety of client-facing advisory roles (as a corporate restructuring/turnaround advisor, investment banker, private equity valuation advisor, and private wealth manager) for some of the most successful and admired companies in the world. He received his Master's degree in Finance & Accounting from the London School of Economics and he was also awarded the CFA charter.
At 43, he retired from the corporate world to devote his time to his family, interests (coaching, ultrarunning, powerlifting, writing) and real estate advisory clients through his real estate practice.
As a father, he wanted to be a source of inspiration to his three daughters and the younger generation of student-athletes, so he decided to write a book, Warrior for Life, to document and chronicle his journey through it all. He recently released a sequel, Warrior for Life II: Strength & Honor.
He lives in Somerville, Massachusetts, with his wife, Elena, and their three girls - Christina, Sophia, and Eva.
