One of BC’s outstanding athletes of the 1970s and 1980s, P.E. (Kinesiology) alumna, Erminia Russo has forged an impressive career in the sport of volleyball. Erminia graduated from high school in Kelowna and in her first year on UBC’s volleyball team, she was a starter who quickly evolved into a three-time Canada West All-Star and All-Canadian. She was considered by her UBC coaches to be the team leader in addition to offensive statistical leader. According to coach Sandy Silver, “Erminia was strong in all aspects of the game . . . had a winning attitude and excellent poise.” In 1985 Erminia made Canada’s national team and played for Canada for eight years. According to Silver, she was “the quarterback of the team,” an experience climaxed by her appearance in the 1986 Olympics. All this as she completed her BPE at UBC in 1989. During the 1990s Erminia played professional volleyball in France, was one of Canada’s top beach volleyball players and embarked upon a coaching career. For two years she coached the University of Western Ontario volleyball team then from 1997/98 through 2000 was the successful head coach of UBC’s women’s team. She took UBC to the CIS finals in 1998 winning both Canada West and CIS Coach of the Year honours that year. In 1999 Erminia was honoured with the UBC Alumni Association Outstanding Young Alumnus Award and in 2007 was inducted into the UBC Sports Hall of Fame. Now married to former UBC football player and CFL coach Noel Thorpe, Erminia lives in Montreal where she continues to promote the game of volleyball and can be seen on television as an articulate Canadian volleyball analyst.
Written by Fred Hume, UBC Historian
