Don Killian, Local Volleyball Standout, Dies at 57

Don Killian, an all-county basketball player at Corona del Mar High who later led the USC men's volleyball team to its first NCAA championship in 1977, died on Friday in Duarte from complications from pneumonia. He was 57 and had survived two major cancer operations.

Killian's promising basketball career ended when he suffered a torn ACL during his senior season with the Sea Kings. When he was unable to regain enough strength in his knee to continue playing at UC Irvine, he enrolled at USC. Once on campus, however, he tried out and made the Trojans men's volleyball team.

As a middle blocker, Killian was a two-year letter winner (1976-77) and helped USC finish with an 18-1 record in 1977, culminated by a four-set victory over Ohio State in the NCAA title mach.

Killian's brother, Doug, lettered in volleyball at USC from 1982-83, and three of Don's children also played volleyball for the Trojans: son Donny played in 2001 and was an assistant coach in 2002; younger daughter Lauren played from 1999-02, serving as captain her senior season, when she helped USC win the 2002 NCAA championship, and son Jimmy, who was the Trojans' starting setter from 2005-08.

Lauren is married to NFL quarterback Matt Cassel, a Mission Viejo High graduate whom she met while both attended USC.

In addition to Doug (wife Sommer), Donny (wife Paige), Lauren and Jimmy, Killian is survived by his older daughter, Liza, father Don Jr., mother Annabelle, sister Julie Kincheloe (husband Kenny), granddaughters Quinn Cassel and Isabelle Killian and six nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held April 6 at 11 a.m. at Mariner's Church in Irvine with a reception afterward at Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach.

The family is working on a memorial fund through the City of Hope, a cancer research, treatment and education center in Duarte, where Killian received treatment for years and spent his last nights, according to gonetoosoon.org.

A loving tribute by one of Killian's longtime friends, Charlie Brande, himself a legend in the local volleyball community, can be found by clicking this link.