U.S. Women's volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon will remain with the team through the 2012 Olympics in London before taking the head coaching position at Minnesota.
McCutcheon accepted the job with the Gophers on Feb. 12, without specifying when he would assume the job.
McCutcheon guided the U.S. men to the gold medal in Beijing amid tragedy after his father-in-law was fatally stabbed at a historic Chinese attraction just before the opening ceremonies. One of the more memorable images from the games was McCutcheon burying his head in his hands in tears when the men defeated top-ranked Brazil in the gold medal match.
McCutcheon, a native of New Zealand, took over the women's national team when Jenny Lang Ping resigned shortly after the Beijing Games. Alan Knipe took a leave of absence from Long Beach State to become the new head coach of the men's national team.
The U.S. women are currently ranked No. 2 in the FIVB world rankings.
''We are pleased that we have been able to work out a win-win solution to allow Hugh to finish his USA Volleyball contract through the 2012 Olympic Games in London,'' USA Volleyball Chief Executive Officer Doug Beal said in a statement. ''He has put together a terrific staff working with an extremely talented group of athletes who had remarkable success last season, including the gold medal at the FIVB World Grand Prix and a fourth-place finish at the FIVB World Championship.''
McCutcheon is married to Elisabeth Bachman, who played for the U.S. team in the 2004 Olympics and is from the Minneapolis area. The couple are the parents of an 8-month-old son.
He told The Associated Press last month that the move to the college ranks was a good fit for his young family.
''The idea of getting involved with a school that I think was really in line with what we believe are our core values, we just thought it was a really good fit,'' McCutcheon said. ''Clearly it's been a successful program and we hope we can continue that. It wasn't just about the personal side of things. I think professionally what Minnesota afforded us was pretty unique and good for us.''
Mike Hebert retired as Minnesota's head coach in December after going 381-125 in 15 seasons with the Gophers, leading the team to three NCAA Final Four appearances.
Minnesota assistant coach Laura Bush will lead the Gophers on an interim basis.
