Darren Vorderbruegge enters his sixth year as the Director of Athletics and fourth as head basketball coach at Hawai'i Pacific University. Originally arriving at HPU as the head coach for the men’s basketball program in June, 2006, it didn’t take long for “Coach V” to make his mark. He was named interim Director of Athletics in November 2006 and granted the position outright in May 2007. After a two year hiatus from basketball to focus on leading the Athletic Department he returned to the sidelines in 2010.
The 2010-11 campaign resulted in a strong foundation being laid for Sea Warrior Basketball. “Vord” took 14 new players, six new coaches, and just three returning players and made it a successful season. HPU beat its first regionally ranked team in three years, and posted a 7-9 record in the PacWest. A double overtime game with national runner-up BYUH, and season ending victories over Grand Canyon and conference champion Dixie State highlighted the rebuilding year in what many regarded as the strongest the PacWest has ever been.
Prior to this season, the last time HPU defeated a regionally ranked opponent was during Coach V’s second season, Feb. 2008, when the Sea Warriors snapped an 11 game Chaminade winning streak to hand the Silverswords their first conference loss of the year. No one has been surprised by the big wins, it has been part of Coach V’s pedigree. Prior to joining HPU, Vorderbruegge coached for over 20 years in both the high school and collegiate ranks. He served as the Associate Head Coach for the Men’s Basketball Team at Northwest Missouri State University. During his tenure there, the Bearcats averaged 25 wins a season and twice reached the Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Division II Tournament. In 2009, he was inducted into the Northwest Missouri State Hall of Fame as a member of the 2002 men’s basketball team that was 29-3.
Before his stint at Northwest Missouri, Vord coached basketball at three different high schools in Kansas. In 2000, he led Wichita Northwest High School to the first conference championship in school history and a fourth place finish in the state championship tournament. He was named the Greater Wichita Athletic League Coach of the Year.
Prior to his time at Northwest High, he was the head coach at Hoisington High School and an assistant coach at West Elk High School.
Vord has excelled as HPU’s AD, capturing back to back Pacific West Commissioner’s Cup Championships in 2010 and 2011, an honor bestowed to the most successful, complete athletic program in the league. Under his watch, the 2010 softball team captured HPU’s fifth national championship.
Vorderbruegge received his undergraduate degree in Secondary Education from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. While attending Bethany he earned honors as an All-American and Academic All-American performer in track and field. Later, he received his master’s degree in secondary educational administration from Wichita State University.
Coach V has been married to his wife Amy for 24 years. She is the principal at Voyager Charter Elementary School located in downtown Honolulu. They have three children. Dawson is a student-athlete at California State University- Stanislaus where he competes on the track and cross country teams. Cordray is currently a student at Northern Colorado University. Daryn Leigh is a freshman at HPU.
Vord and his wife Amy are very involved in community affairs. They have volunteered at Camp Hope, a camp for children who have been afflicted by cancer, where Vord was the Camp Director. They have served as mentors in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. They have been involved with Kaiser High School Project Graduation and are active members in Hawaii Kai Church.
