Photo by: © Abby Smith
In Her Wake: Jeff Triplette Advances Coaching & Directorship Initiative Following Naming of Assistant Volleyball Coach Position
2/9/2024 8:07:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
While serving on the Deacon Club Board of Directors, 1973 Wake Forest graduate Jeff Triplette helped create the concept of naming coaching positions to help grow a program's operating budget.
Now, he's taking that concept one step further, as Jeff and Laurie Triplette have jointly endowed the Triplette Family Volleyball Assistant Coach position — providing a historical commitment to the program that will live in perpetuity and make an annual ongoing impact.
"Our family wanted to give back to Wake Forest, and give back in an area where we could make a bigger impact," Jeff Triplette said. "Women's athletics offered that opportunity, and Coach (Randi) Smart's volleyball program happened to rise to the top for us.
"It's a great sport to watch and a lot of fun. There's a lot of action. Fill up the arena and let's see where we go with this as a program. If we get folks interested in attending at least a couple, they would catch the bug."
As part of the Board of Directors when this concept was first introduced, Triplette figured it was just a matter of time before he took this step.
"We wanted to help each athletic program have funds that each coach could use to improve their program," he said. "If they know there are X-amount of dollars coming each year, they can be proactive and plan for some things that wouldn't have normally been available, such as extra travel for recruiting. This is just another way we thought of working to get the loyal Demon Deacon donors to find ways to positively impact a program.
"You always know when you come up with these ideas, and you've already funded a scholarship in the business school, I kind of knew it would eventually get around to me. I'm a big boy and we've done well. I want to support the program. This is my 50th anniversary at Wake Forest. I've seen it come so far, especially in the last few years."
For more than a decade, Triplette served as President & Chief Executive Officer and then Executive Chair for Arbiter Sports – a company that helps manage assignments for officials all across the country at multiple levels of competitive sports. During that time, he built strong relationships with the Professional Association of Volleyball Officials (PAVO), as well as the NCAA executive director of volleyball officiating.
"I know a lot about volleyball," Triplette said. "When (players) get through playing collegiate volleyball, think about coming over to the officiating side of things."
Coming from a modest upbringing on a North Carolina dairy and tobacco farm, Triplette parlayed a Wake Forest degree into a three-decade plus career with Duke Energy, while also officiating at the highest level in the National Football League.
"We were dirt poor, and I came to Wake Forest with a little scholarship and a lot of loans," he said. "You make life-long friendships. My first college roommate at Wake Forest when I was a freshman — we're going to the reunion together this year. We've stayed together for more than 50 years.
"Our families know each other and we've vacationed together. Wake Forest does a great job of embracing people when they come to this community. And we need to do that with our athletes. You're always welcome back."
There's success on the field all over campus, from football achieving seven-straight bowl bids to women's golf claiming a national championship and Tom Walter's baseball program competing in the College World Series.
"(Former Wake Forest athletic director) Ron Wellman did an excellent job, but I can't say enough about the leadership we're getting from (Wake Forest athletic director) John Currie," Triplette said. "He's really energized the whole operation and gave us new life. It's not just for football and basketball – it's for all sports. It's field hockey, tennis, soccer and volleyball. Baseball just had a wonderful season, and all these things really encourage me."
Currently serving on the Wake Forest Business School Board of Visitors and the Athletics Hall of Fame Committee, Triplette moved to make this historic investment after meeting Smart at a Deacon Club Board of Directors meeting, impressed with her contagious energy and enthusiasm.
"What is the long-term impact for Wake Forest?" Triplett said he asked himself while determining where he wanted to invest. "I've been a big supporter of Wake Forest football and baseball, but where can we make the most impact?
"I hope it gives them the opportunity to do some things that they probably could not have done before as a non-revenue sport. We hope that others will consider doing this. If folks have the ability, they really ought to think about this, especially in sports where we probably haven't typically received this level of support. This will allow us to sustain and not only have great coaches, but to move entire programs forward."
What They're Saying About Jeff Triplette's Gift
Supporting Wake Forest Athletics
Previous Coaching & Directorship Announcements
Now, he's taking that concept one step further, as Jeff and Laurie Triplette have jointly endowed the Triplette Family Volleyball Assistant Coach position — providing a historical commitment to the program that will live in perpetuity and make an annual ongoing impact.
"Our family wanted to give back to Wake Forest, and give back in an area where we could make a bigger impact," Jeff Triplette said. "Women's athletics offered that opportunity, and Coach (Randi) Smart's volleyball program happened to rise to the top for us.
"It's a great sport to watch and a lot of fun. There's a lot of action. Fill up the arena and let's see where we go with this as a program. If we get folks interested in attending at least a couple, they would catch the bug."
As part of the Board of Directors when this concept was first introduced, Triplette figured it was just a matter of time before he took this step.
"We wanted to help each athletic program have funds that each coach could use to improve their program," he said. "If they know there are X-amount of dollars coming each year, they can be proactive and plan for some things that wouldn't have normally been available, such as extra travel for recruiting. This is just another way we thought of working to get the loyal Demon Deacon donors to find ways to positively impact a program.
"You always know when you come up with these ideas, and you've already funded a scholarship in the business school, I kind of knew it would eventually get around to me. I'm a big boy and we've done well. I want to support the program. This is my 50th anniversary at Wake Forest. I've seen it come so far, especially in the last few years."
For more than a decade, Triplette served as President & Chief Executive Officer and then Executive Chair for Arbiter Sports – a company that helps manage assignments for officials all across the country at multiple levels of competitive sports. During that time, he built strong relationships with the Professional Association of Volleyball Officials (PAVO), as well as the NCAA executive director of volleyball officiating.
"I know a lot about volleyball," Triplette said. "When (players) get through playing collegiate volleyball, think about coming over to the officiating side of things."
Coming from a modest upbringing on a North Carolina dairy and tobacco farm, Triplette parlayed a Wake Forest degree into a three-decade plus career with Duke Energy, while also officiating at the highest level in the National Football League.
"We were dirt poor, and I came to Wake Forest with a little scholarship and a lot of loans," he said. "You make life-long friendships. My first college roommate at Wake Forest when I was a freshman — we're going to the reunion together this year. We've stayed together for more than 50 years.
"Our families know each other and we've vacationed together. Wake Forest does a great job of embracing people when they come to this community. And we need to do that with our athletes. You're always welcome back."
There's success on the field all over campus, from football achieving seven-straight bowl bids to women's golf claiming a national championship and Tom Walter's baseball program competing in the College World Series.
"(Former Wake Forest athletic director) Ron Wellman did an excellent job, but I can't say enough about the leadership we're getting from (Wake Forest athletic director) John Currie," Triplette said. "He's really energized the whole operation and gave us new life. It's not just for football and basketball – it's for all sports. It's field hockey, tennis, soccer and volleyball. Baseball just had a wonderful season, and all these things really encourage me."
Currently serving on the Wake Forest Business School Board of Visitors and the Athletics Hall of Fame Committee, Triplette moved to make this historic investment after meeting Smart at a Deacon Club Board of Directors meeting, impressed with her contagious energy and enthusiasm.
"What is the long-term impact for Wake Forest?" Triplett said he asked himself while determining where he wanted to invest. "I've been a big supporter of Wake Forest football and baseball, but where can we make the most impact?
"I hope it gives them the opportunity to do some things that they probably could not have done before as a non-revenue sport. We hope that others will consider doing this. If folks have the ability, they really ought to think about this, especially in sports where we probably haven't typically received this level of support. This will allow us to sustain and not only have great coaches, but to move entire programs forward."
What They're Saying About Jeff Triplette's Gift
- Triplette Family Volleyball Assistant Coach, Rebecca Rudnick-Hong:
- "The generosity toward our program that Mr. Triplette has shown is unmatched and I am very grateful to be a part of it. Being an assistant coach at Wake has always been an honor and now even more so with my position being endowed by the Triplette family. I will strive to carry on the same work ethic, integrity and leadership that Mr. Triplette's career and life display. I am so thankful for his support of our program and specifically my position."
- Head Volleyball Coach Randi Smart:
- "Getting to know Jeff Triplette has been one of my personal highlights. He is intelligent, charismatic, and fierce. I grew up watching him on a football field, and to meet and get to spend this much time with him has proven he is even better than I imagined. I am honored to now be able to name our Triplette Family Volleyball Assistant Coach position for Jeff. I carry a piece of him with me every time I go into a practice or match, and now we really get to honor Jeff by naming an assistant coach position after him. He's a piece of this program, and we all are better because of Jeff."
- Director of Athletics John Currie:
- "Jeff Triplette's active leadership within the Wake Forest community continues to inspire generations of Demon Deacons. This incredibly generous gift allows us to continue to provide a World Class Student-Athlete Experience and helps us fulfill our vision of being A Model Intercollegiate Athletics Program. Specifically, this endowment gift allows us to enhance investments in performance training and technology, provide additional summer school and academic support, and recruit at an elite level. I deeply enjoy spending time with Jeff as his perspective and values truly reflect the Pro Humanitate spirit of our University."
Supporting Wake Forest Athletics
- Wake Forest Athletics Excellence Funds program launched in 2018 as an avenue for alumni, family and friends to directly impact a specific program of their choice through a budget-enhancing gift specifically to that program. Join Jeff in their support of the volleyball program or make an experience-enhancing gift to the program of your choosing today!
Previous Coaching & Directorship Announcements
- The Balogh Family announced a transformative gift in Sept. 2023 gift to help Wake Forest's initiative to sustain and elevate coaching or directorship positions though specific endowment gifts. In gratitude for the generosity of Ed Balogh and his wife, Kathy, the position currently held by football's wide receivers coach Ari Confesor will be forever titled, The Balogh Family Football Assistant Coach for Wide Receivers Position.
- The Lyons family moved forward in May 2023 to become the first to participate in the Coaching and Directorship Initiative at Wake Forest, establishing the The Lyons Family Men's Golf Associate Head Coach position and The Lyons Family Women's Golf Associate Head Coach position.
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