Pro Beach Volleyball Champion Mike Whitmarsh has died at 46

As a big beach volleyball player I have seen Mike Whitmarsh play many times and am just stunned and so saddened by this news.  Olympic silver medalist and pro beach volleyball tour champion Mike Whitmarsh, 46, was found dead at a friend’s home in Solana Beach, California on Tuesday morning, February 17.

He lead the University of San Diego to its first West Coast Conference basketball title in 1984.  The 6′7″ star was drafted in the 5th round by the Portland Trailblazers and was picked up briefly by the Minnesota Timberwolves before playing professionally in Germany for 3 years.

Whitmarsh switched to beach volleyball in 1990 and was named AVP Rookie of the Year, and went on to become one of the top AVP Tour players.  In 1996, Whitmarsh teamed with Mike Dodd to win a silver medal in the men’s inaugural beach volleyball tournament at the in the Atlanta Olympics. He won a total of 28 pro beach volleyball tournaments and won nearly $1.6 million during his career.

Source: ChattahBox News Blog