Call him Coach Karch

When the boys’ volleyball team from San Juan Capistrano St. Margaret’s enters a gym, heads usually turn and idle bleacher chatter becomes excited whispers.

Even without his trademark pink cap, the winningest player in volleyball history is easily recognized.

“Yeah, Karch Kiraly tends to have a funny effect on people,” said Jeremy Dailey, who, along with Kiraly, is co-coach of the Tartans.

After a remarkable 30-plus year career on the court and sand – he is the only player to win Olympic medals in indoor and beach volleyball, both gold, and the only one to win three Olympic medals in volleyball – Kiraly retired from the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Pro Beach tour last summer at age 46.

He had already turned some of his attention to tiny St. Margaret’s, which has an enrollment of 389 students, two of them being his sons, Kristian and Kory. He traded his pink cap for a coach’s whistle last season, but he is still drawing attention.

“I’ve had my share of interesting experiences, that’s for sure,” said Kiraly, as he prepared St. Margaret’s (16-5) to travel to Calabasas on Friday night to meet second-ranked Viewpoint (26-7) in a quarterfinal match of the Southern Section-Toyota Division V playoffs.

“I’ve had all kinds of people come up to me and ask for autographs,” he said. “It can be a bit uncomfortable at times. There’s a time and place for everything, so I try to accommodate everyone after our games… . If I can, that is.

Kiraly is rededicating himself to his new occupation. “My job is to keep distractions to a minimum and teach these kids to be better volleyball players.”

He has done just that, helping to turn around a team that went winless in 2006. But it hasn’t been easy, especially figuring out how best to balance being a coach and a father.

“I don’t play favorites. Kristian and Kory have to work just as hard as everyone else,” Kiraly said. “I’ve never put any added pressure on them to be something they’re not. They’re out there playing the game because they love it, like their teammates.

“As a coach, that’s all you can ask for… . As a dad, that’s all you can ask for.”

After the 2006 season, morale on the Tartans’ volleyball team was at an all-time low. There was even talk of eliminating the program if things didn’t turn around in a hurry.

“We got pounded. We took our lumps back then,” said Kristian, now a junior. “With my dad around, we’re much more prepared. He’s helped all of us improve. We’re more confident. We’re not intimidated anymore. As a team, we have higher standards now.”

The bar began to be raised last season, when St. Margaret’s finished third in the Academy League and advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

The Tartans finished third in league again this season and are one victory away from appearing in the semifinals for the third time since the program began in 1989.

“Karch has made all the difference in the world,” Dailey said. “I mean, he’s the greatest of all time, how could he not be a good coach?”

The players and their parents understand what their coach has accomplished.

“Having the greatest player the game has ever seen helping you out every day is pretty amazing,” senior Ryan Limb said. “My dad tells me to soak up everything he says, everything he does.”

Kiraly was born in Jackson, Mich., but grew up in San Clemente, where he and his family now reside. He graduated from Santa Barbara High after leading its volleyball team to an undefeated season as a senior

At UCLA, he was a four-time All-American and helped the Bruins win NCAA championships in 1979, 1981 and 1982.

A year out of school and the youngest player on the U.S. Olympic team at age 23, Kiraly won a gold medal at the 1984 games in Los Angeles. He won another as a member of the indoor team in 1988, then teamed with Kent Steffes to win a third gold medal in 1996 in the inaugural beach volleyball event

“Karch is the ambassador for volleyball,” said Al Scates, who recently completed his 45th season as men’s volleyball coach at UCLA.

“He’s truly an influential man. He has a wealth of knowledge and his boys, and the rest of those young men he’s coaching, are going to really benefit in the long run with him around.”

While Kristian and Kory were growing up, Kiraly was dominating the AVP, winning a record 148 tournaments with 13 partners, amassing more than $3 million in prize money along the way.

“Having our dad around now is great because he was really busy when we were kids,” said Kory, a sophomore. “He’s Dad at home and Coach at school and all my teammates understand that. We’re having a good season because everyone gets it. We’re building a tradition.”

And nobody builds traditions better than Karch Kiraly.

“You know, it doesn’t matter if we’re at one of our games, at the store or at the movies, someone always recognizes my dad,” Kory said.

“And it’s fun to give him a hard time about the pink hat he used to wear because it was so girlie. But that’s what everyone remembers about him.”