NAME: Randy Gingera
UNIVERSITY: Calgary
CATEGORY: Student-Athlete
SPORT: Men’s Volleyball
YEARS ACTIVE: 1985-1989
HIGHLIGHTS:
1989 CIAU and Canada West men’s volleyball champion
1989 CIAU Player of the Year
1989 University of Calgary Male Athlete of the Year
1992 Olympian (Barcelona)
BIOGRAPHY:
As a member of the University of Calgary men’s volleyball team, Randy Gingera brought excellence and excitement every time he stepped on the court.
A five-year starter for his hometown team, Gingera led the Dinos to the conference and national championship titles in 1989 when he was named both the CIAU and Canada West Men’s Volleyball Player of the Year, as well as the U of C’s Male Athlete of the Year.
Gingera was a two-time First Team All-Canadian (1988, 1989) and a Canada West First Team All-Star in three straight years from 1987 to 1989. He also won a bronze medal with the Dinos at the 1988 CIAU championship tournament.
Known for his jump service and leaping ability, Gingera was instrumental in the Dinos historic 1988-89 season, when Calgary went undefeated against Canadian opponents and lost just once, to NCAA Division 1 power UCLA at an exhibition tournament in California.
The six-foot two right-handed outside hitter spent eight years with the Canadian national team, highlighted by an appearance at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, and played six seasons of professional volleyball, with stops in Belgium, France and Japan.
After retiring from competitive volleyball, Gingera returned to the U of C where in 2000 he completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and went on to earn a Master’s in Environmental Design in 2005. His master’s degree project was the runner-up for the Environmental Design Gold Medal given to the most outstanding graduating student in the Faculty.
Gingera was inducted into the University of Calgary’s Hall of Fame in 2006.