Aldis Berzins grew up playing volleyball in a strong Latvian community near Philadelphia. He played in college at The Ohio State University, where he was an outside hitter for the Buckeyes. Berzins joined the US national team after graduation and competed at multiple international tournaments, including the 1977 World Cup, the 1978 World Championships, the 1979 and 1983 Pan American Games, the 1981 Canada Cup, and the 1982 World Championships. The highlight of his career came in winning a gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He played at the 1985 World Cup for the US and then played and coached in the Italian professional league.
Berzins earned a graduate degree in computer science from San Diego State University while he was playing for the US national team. He also coached the US women’s national team, and was an assistant coach for the women at the 1996 Olympics. Berzins worked as Director of Digital Technologies for ARK Enterprises, developing software programs that were used by USA Soccer and USA Volleyball. He later became the Director of Information Technology for the Special Olympics.
United States