Colorado State University Athletics
30th Athletics Hall of Fame: Rich Feller
9/8/2021 10:00:00 AM | Volleyball, Ram Club, RamWire
Former coach gets to enjoy volleyball -- and life -- at his chosen pace
Retirement hasn't taken Rich Feller away from the sport of volleyball. That would be the furthest thing from the truth.
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But it has allowed him to enjoy the sport he coaches for nearly four decades from a different, far-less-stressful vantage point – as a fan. When he sits in the stands at Cal, where he stepped down from coaching after 18 seasons with the Bears, he doesn't have to answer questions about why he did or didn't substitute or call a timeout.
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He can simply enjoy, which was the transition the former Colorado State coach was looking to make.
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"It was pretty easy, and the reason being is I kinda just knew when I was done," Feller said. "I'd been doing it 32 years, and overall with high school coaching and club coaching and in between, it had been about 38 years that I'd really been super involved in volleyball. I just had gotten to that stage where I think I'd had a really successful career at two schools, and I'd had so many great experiences. I felt I'm just getting a little ready to sit back, be a spectator and enjoy the sport from a completely different angle, and really just go back and enjoy the sport for the sport itself."
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He still watches a lot of volleyball. Initially, he worked as a broadcaster occasionally for the Pac 12, but he also streams a ton of matches on his computer and records those he can find through his cable provider. He had no intention of leaving the sport behind.
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The man who built the foundation – with 12 top-25 final season rankings and eight trips to the NCAA Tournament at CSU -- from which Tom Hilbert has constructed a mansion, will be part of the 30th Colorado State Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 10 at 4:30 p.m. in Canvas Stadium.
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He and his wife, Stacey, still live in the Oakland area, and volleyball alone wasn't going to fill his time. Stacey plays beach volleyball, but Feller said he's far too competitive to get involved with that, so his spare time is now spent on the open road.
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"I found a good circle of people who cycled, and I sort of dove into bicycling really big time with my wife still working," he said. "I found something to occupy several hours a day, probably five days a week. That sort of eased the pain of not having anything to do, not sitting around the house eating and getting fat, watching TV and bothering my wife, who was mostly working from home."
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He rides at least 100 miles per week, and gets close to 200 some weeks, averaging about 5,000 miles per year the past five, and he's already up to 4,000 this year. The hills around Oakland provide ample opportunity to explore a country road, and being so close to the Bay allows him to pursue rides along the coast, as well. He will ride solo (particularly on days Stacey is playing beach volleyball), and he has groups he rides with, as well. Lately, Stacey has picked up the pursuit, too, but they do it to keep in shape, not compete.
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It has also allowed them to travel. They go to Hawaii annually, generally with one of his kids, fitting in plenty of hiking, snorkeling and beach time – as well as a few bike trips. A few scheduled trips to Europe wiped out by the pandemic is still in the cards down the road.
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He still has two children who live in Colorado, and all three – Ashleigh, Ryan and Evan – will be on hand for the induction; he has a stepson with Stacey, Brad Bertolet. Ryan and his wife have provided him with his first grandchild, Mikko, in the past year.
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After Friday's ceremony, Feller and his group will walk across the building to watch Colorado State take on Oregon State in a match. It will be Feller's first trip back to Moby since he brought his 13th-ranked Cal Bears to town in 2003, beating CSU 3-1.
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He has seen them play since, going to Stanford to watch the Rams in the NCAA Tournament a few years back. He's looking forward to the return, as the weekend will give him a chance to reconnect in person with Hilbert and former players, all of whom he keeps engaged with via social media.
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His life is still filled with the sport he loves, which he feels gave him the perfect pathway from coaching.
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"I would have to say yes. My wife and I are involved in some charity work, making donations and doing things that keep us busy," he said. "On the other side in the enjoyment of life, just living life as best we can. We survived COVID, and riding a bike was a perfect way to get away from COVID. We're very comfortable with this life, looking forward to seeing our grandkid, and hopefully, more grandkids down the road."
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But it has allowed him to enjoy the sport he coaches for nearly four decades from a different, far-less-stressful vantage point – as a fan. When he sits in the stands at Cal, where he stepped down from coaching after 18 seasons with the Bears, he doesn't have to answer questions about why he did or didn't substitute or call a timeout.
Â
He can simply enjoy, which was the transition the former Colorado State coach was looking to make.
Â
"It was pretty easy, and the reason being is I kinda just knew when I was done," Feller said. "I'd been doing it 32 years, and overall with high school coaching and club coaching and in between, it had been about 38 years that I'd really been super involved in volleyball. I just had gotten to that stage where I think I'd had a really successful career at two schools, and I'd had so many great experiences. I felt I'm just getting a little ready to sit back, be a spectator and enjoy the sport from a completely different angle, and really just go back and enjoy the sport for the sport itself."
Â
He still watches a lot of volleyball. Initially, he worked as a broadcaster occasionally for the Pac 12, but he also streams a ton of matches on his computer and records those he can find through his cable provider. He had no intention of leaving the sport behind.
Â
The man who built the foundation – with 12 top-25 final season rankings and eight trips to the NCAA Tournament at CSU -- from which Tom Hilbert has constructed a mansion, will be part of the 30th Colorado State Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 10 at 4:30 p.m. in Canvas Stadium.
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He and his wife, Stacey, still live in the Oakland area, and volleyball alone wasn't going to fill his time. Stacey plays beach volleyball, but Feller said he's far too competitive to get involved with that, so his spare time is now spent on the open road.
Â
"I found a good circle of people who cycled, and I sort of dove into bicycling really big time with my wife still working," he said. "I found something to occupy several hours a day, probably five days a week. That sort of eased the pain of not having anything to do, not sitting around the house eating and getting fat, watching TV and bothering my wife, who was mostly working from home."
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He rides at least 100 miles per week, and gets close to 200 some weeks, averaging about 5,000 miles per year the past five, and he's already up to 4,000 this year. The hills around Oakland provide ample opportunity to explore a country road, and being so close to the Bay allows him to pursue rides along the coast, as well. He will ride solo (particularly on days Stacey is playing beach volleyball), and he has groups he rides with, as well. Lately, Stacey has picked up the pursuit, too, but they do it to keep in shape, not compete.
Â
It has also allowed them to travel. They go to Hawaii annually, generally with one of his kids, fitting in plenty of hiking, snorkeling and beach time – as well as a few bike trips. A few scheduled trips to Europe wiped out by the pandemic is still in the cards down the road.
Â
He still has two children who live in Colorado, and all three – Ashleigh, Ryan and Evan – will be on hand for the induction; he has a stepson with Stacey, Brad Bertolet. Ryan and his wife have provided him with his first grandchild, Mikko, in the past year.
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After Friday's ceremony, Feller and his group will walk across the building to watch Colorado State take on Oregon State in a match. It will be Feller's first trip back to Moby since he brought his 13th-ranked Cal Bears to town in 2003, beating CSU 3-1.
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He has seen them play since, going to Stanford to watch the Rams in the NCAA Tournament a few years back. He's looking forward to the return, as the weekend will give him a chance to reconnect in person with Hilbert and former players, all of whom he keeps engaged with via social media.
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His life is still filled with the sport he loves, which he feels gave him the perfect pathway from coaching.
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"I would have to say yes. My wife and I are involved in some charity work, making donations and doing things that keep us busy," he said. "On the other side in the enjoyment of life, just living life as best we can. We survived COVID, and riding a bike was a perfect way to get away from COVID. We're very comfortable with this life, looking forward to seeing our grandkid, and hopefully, more grandkids down the road."
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