BATON ROUGE — LSU volleyball head coach Fran Flory had the honor of being inducted into the Episcopal High School Athletics Hall of Fame as one of five alumni selected for the inaugural induction class.
In addition to Flory, Frances Compton, Van Hiles, Jennifer Meade McCarthy and Jimmy Williams were inducted into the Hall of Fame. The honorees were recognized during halftime of the Knights’ Homecoming football game last October before being formally inducted at the spring sports awards program.
A Baton Rouge native, Flory graduated from Episcopal High School in 1980. She was a four-year letterwinner in four sports for the Knights, claiming state volleyball championships in 1978 and 1979. Additionally, the 1979-1980 women’s basketball team claimed its first district championship.
During that championship season, Flory set a school record for rebounds in a single season with 268, holding that record for 14 years before being passed by Meade McCarthy in 1993-1994 with 271. Flory also broke Episcopal basketball single-game records for points scored with 40, field goals made, field goals attempted and free throws attempted, remaining the current record holder for field goals attempted and now ranking second in points scored and field goals made and third in free throws attempted.
While playing volleyball at Episcopal, Flory was coached by fellow inductee Frances Compton, who is a member of the Louisiana Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and was the founding president of that organization. After 13 years as a coach at Episcopal where she was a three-time LHSCA Coach of the Year and led her programs win four state titles with two runner-up finishes, Compton joined the LSU volleyball staff. She was an assistant coach for Scott Luster for 13 seasons before Flory took over the program in 1998.
Following Flory’s prep career at Episcopal, she went on to a collegiate volleyball career at the University of Texas, where she was a member of the 1981 AIAW national championship team. Upon graduation from Texas, she spent 12 years as an assistant and head coach at various universities, including four years as a graduate assistant and assistant coach at LSU. In 1998, she returned to the Tiger program as the head coach and has spent the last nine seasons at LSU.
With five winning seasons in the last six years, Flory has coached a pair of All-Americans, Ivana Kuzmic and Daniela Romero, in the last two seasons, the first volleyball All-Americans at LSU since 1992. In addition, she coached the only Academic All-American in LSU volleyball history in Lauren Cuyler. Last year, the Tigers finished the season ranked No. 19 in the AVCA/USA Today poll, the time LSU has closed out a season ranked in the Top 25 since 1992.
Over the past two seasons, the Tiger volleyball program has enjoyed great success. LSU captured a share of the Southeastern Conference Western Division championship in 2005 before winning the title outright in 2006. The Tigers also advanced to the NCAA Tournament in both seasons, the first trips to the postseason tournament for LSU since 1992. Flory has now guided a pair of programs ? LSU and Kentucky ? to appearances in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach.
For her efforts, Flory has earned three Louisiana Sports Writer’s Association Louisiana Coach of the Year honors in the last six years, including back-to-back awards in 2005 and 2006. In her eighth season at LSU, she passed former head coach Ruth Nelson to become the second winningest head coach in Tiger history.
Flory has now guided players to 14 All-SEC honors, including six first-team selections. In addition, she has led her players to 23 All-Louisiana awards, including 13 first-team selections, and every individual state award, including player, freshman and newcomer of the year.
Flory’s success, however, has not been solely on the court. LSU has had the second-most players named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll of any school in the league during her tenure, leading the league four times. The LSU volleyball program has also been recognized nationally for its academic success, picking up an American Volleyball Coaches Association Academic Award three times.
In Flory’s first stint with the Tigers, she was an assistant for four years under LSU’s winningest coach, Scott Luster. She served as a graduate assistant in 1988, before being named a full-time assistant in 1989. During her four seasons with the Tigers, Flory helped LSU to unprecedented success with three SEC championships, three SEC Tournament championships and two Final Four appearances, the first school in SEC history to advance to the NCAA Final Four.
In 1992, Flory left LSU to assume the head coaching duties at Southeastern Louisiana. In her first season as a Division I head coach, she led the Lions to a 21-13 record. In March 1993, Flory returned to the SEC as she became an assistant coach at Kentucky. Five months later, she was named the Wildcats head coach as then-Kentucky coach Kathy DeBoer, who is currently the Executive Director of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, was named an Associate Athletic Director.
In her first season at Kentucky, Flory led the Wildcats to a 29-4 record, while advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. For her efforts in the 1993 season, she was named the Tachikara/AVCA Region IV Coach of the Year.
A 1984 graduate of Texas, Flory has also experienced much success as a player. In 1981, she was a member of Texas’ AIAW National Championship squad. She received All-Southwest Conference and All-South Region honors during three seasons with the Longhorns.
A member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, Flory has also assisted in coordinating both the Louisiana Senior Olympic Games and the Special Olympics, and hosting the Senior Olympic Games in 2001. She is also a member of the United States Volleyball Association coaching accreditation program.
The former Fran Teeter, she is married to Ken Flory. The two have a daughter, Lindsay (10), and a son, Nicholas (8).
The purpose of Episcopal’s Athletic Hall of Fame is to recognize noteworthy athletes, coaches and contributors for their accomplishments and contributions to the Episcopal High School athletic program.
Head Coach
10th Year at LSU
17th Year Overall
Overall Record: 265-229
Record at LSU: 155-115
Coaching Honors
1993 AVCA/Tachikara Region IV Coach of the Year
2001 Louisiana Coach of the Year
2005 Louisiana Coach of the Year
2006 Louisiana Coach of the Year
Playing Honors
1981 Member of AIAW National Championship Team
1982 Second-Team All-Southwest Conference
1983 NCAA Tournament All-South Region Team