The historic college coach, grew up in Point Dune, attended Santa Monica HS and was a JC All-American setter at Santa Monica College where his team won the 1981 California JC title. He competed in the 1981 World University Games (he also played in 1985), before transferring to UC Santa Barbara, where he earned HM All-American honors and began his coaching career there. He then became part of SCIVBHOFer Marv Dunphy’s staff at Pepperdine for the 1986 NCAA men’s title. In 1989 he became the USC head coach and led the Trojans to the 1990 NCAA men’s title and 1991 NCAA finals. McLaughlin spent seven seasons there (1990-96), posting a 142-75 record (.654). Internationally he was the World University Games Men’s Head Coach in 1991, ’93 and ’95, winning a silver medal (he coached at the Pan-Am Games), and was a men’s Olympic Games consultant in 1992 and 1996. He became the women’s head coach at Kansas State (1997–2000), then Washington (2001–14), and Notre Dame (2014–17). Across 21 seasons with the three colleges, he amassed a 490-178 (.734) record, and his squads made the NCAA tournament 18 times. At Washington, he won the 2005 NCAA crown, the first coach to ever win volleyball honors in NCAA men’s and women’s, and was the 2004 AVCA Coach of the Year. He retired due to a reoccurring back injury. He was selected for the 2021 AVCA Hall of Fame.