McGill varsity’s winningest coach will retire at the end of this season

Rachele Beliveau is one of the Montreal’s most exceptional women in sports — she’s the winningest coach in McGill varsity history, and she’s about to retire.

Rachèle Béliveau is one of the Montreal’s most exceptional women in sports — she’s the winningest coach in McGill varsity history, and she’s about to retire.

One of the longest serving coaches with 34 seasons leading the women’s volleyball team, Béliveau has had an illustrious athletic career.

She played volleyball in the 1984 Olympic Games, yet fondly remembers her time with The Canadian Junior National Team in 1981.

“We beat Cuba in that final to qualify for the Junior World Championship and Cuba was the best team in the world,” she said.

“That was really a great moment and that happened in Calgary, in Canada! I think overall the Olympics, and that game, were the highlights of my career.”

Béliveau earned the respect of her peers, and opponents.

Two-time Atlantic University Sport “coach of the year” Lori Welsh played for Dalhousie against Béliveau in the late ’80s.

“The biggest thing in my mind was how fierce she was. So serious and intense and really intimidating. She definitely controlled the pace of the game,” said Welsh while reminiscing.

Béliveau has now been coaching McGill women’s volleyball for 33 years and has 1,315 wins under belt.

McGill Sports Hall of Famer Wendy Whelan played for Béliveau in the ’90s and even worked as her assistant coach for a season.

“Her calm demeanor, her ability to put a team together, to develop athletes — to even have athletes change positions at that level is very impressive,” said Whelan.

Elite women’s sports rarely have female coaches and both Whelan and Welsh say it makes a real difference.

“Knowing how we work, what to say, what not to say,” said Whelan on what made Béliveau a great coach.

Welsh added that “women need to see people in those roles to aspire to be coaches and perhaps other leaders in sport.”

Béliveau said her way of talking to her players is important.

“I think one of my strengths is being able to read the game as it goes on so that I utilize it a lot, [like] being able to see and analyze it very, very quickly,” she said.

Béliveau’s mentorship has made important contributions to Canadian sports and to the hundreds of women she has coached.

“It’s amazing that she’s been able to coach that long and keep the program at a very high level and also adjust to all the changes in the game,” Welsh said.

As she approaches retirement at the end of this season, Béliveau says there’s one more change she’d like to see — more women coaches.

“It’s not yet what it should be, but it’s growing. It’s better than it was,” she said.