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Oklahoma City University Athletics

Oklahoma City University
Home Of Champions|73 National Championships
Santiago Restrepo

Santiago Restrepo

Santiago Restrepo begins his tenure as Oklahoma City University in 2018.
Restrepo completed his 14th season as University of Oklahoma coach in 2017. Restrepo led the Sooners to their finest era in program history, guiding OU to a 242-192 record with eight trips to the NCAA Tournament in nine years.
In 20 years as a head coach, Restrepo owns a 368-261 record directing East Stroudsburg (Pa.), Southern Mississippi and Oklahoma. He garnered 2006 Big 12 coach of the year, American Volleyball Coaches Association regional coach of the year and CVU.com national coach of the year in his third season at Oklahoma as well as 2003 Conference USA coach of the year in his final year at Southern Mississippi.
Restrepo led Oklahoma to six NCAA Tournament appearances in a row and five consecutive 20-win seasons from 2009-14, including Sweet 16 national-tournament berths in 2006 and 2010. The Sooners finished second place in the Big 12 Conference under Restrepo twice in 2006 and ‘14. Restrepo turned around a program that had a combined 27 wins in the four years prior to his arrival.
At OU, Restrepo coached five USA national team players, 14 AVCA all-Americans, 17 all-region performers, one espnW national player of the week honoree and three AVCA national player of the week award winners. On the conference level, Restrepo mentored 29 all-Big 12 selections, eight league all-freshman choices, and six yearly Big 12 award winners.
Off the floor, Restrepo’s student-athletes took 80 academic all-Big 12 nods, 13 College Sports Information Directors’ academic all-district distinction and three CoSIDA academic all-American accolades.
In Restrepo’s final season at Southern Miss, he led his 2003 team to a program-best 27-6 record and was named Conference USA Coach of the Year. Three Golden Eagles garnered all-Conference USA honors during Restrepo’s three-year tenure, including two in his final season. He left Southern Miss with a conference record of 52-40 (.565) and an overall mark of 127-72 (.638).
Prior to coaching at Southern Miss, Restrepo served three seasons (1998-2000) as an assistant coach at Saint Louis University under Marilyn Nolen. Restrepo served as the women’s head coach at East Stroudsburg (Pa.) University from 1994-97. East Stroudsburg posted its best record in school history with a 32-2 mark in 1996. For his team’s efforts, Restrepo was named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference coach of the year. During his tenure, he led ESU to a 75-32 (.735) overall record.
A former NCAA Division I all-American at East Stroudsburg, Restrepo was also a four-time all-conference selection. He earned team most valuable player honors all four years and was the co-winner of the senior athlete award in 1986. He was inducted into the East Stroudsburg Hall of Fame in 2004 and the EIVA Hall of Fame in 2015.
Following his collegiate career, Restrepo played one season professionally in France and returned to the United States where he played on the American Volleyball Players Pro Beach Tour. He earned a 3A player rating on the AVP tour and had the opportunity to play against some of the giants of professional beach volleyball, including Karch Kiraly, Sinjin Smith, Randy Stoklos and Kent Steffes.
Highly involved with USA Volleyball and internationally, Restrepo served as co-head coach of one of two USA Volleyball under-22 select teams that toured Argentina in June 2005 and 2006. He was head coach of USA Volleyball’s A2 junior national team during its summer 2011 international tour.
Restrepo and his wife, Heidi Nichols, have two sons, Diego Ignacio and Javier Santiago. Restrepo’s youngest son, Javier Santiago, passed away from leukemia in July 2009 at age 4. To find out what you can do to help promote childhood cancer awareness, visit The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center.