Three Key Takeaways
- Gokhan Yilmaz earned his 150th victory as FAMU’s head coach Friday, when the Rattlers defeated Mississippi Valley State, 3-1.
- The milestone covers Yilmaz’s tenure at FAMU since August 2018, not his entire coaching career. Before becoming the Rattlers’ head coach, he spent two seasons as FAMU’s associate head coach.
- Yilmaz has built FAMU into a consistent championship contender, leading the Rattlers to SWAC titles in 2021 and 2022.
FAMU volleyball's 3-1 victory over Mississippi Valley State,Friday, gave Coach Gokhan Yilmaz his 150th win since taking over the Rattler volleyball program in 2018.
The milestone arrived on the road, without much ceremony.
Yilmaz, a native of Istanbul, Turkey, elevated to the FAMU head coach position after serving as the program’s associate head coach during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
Since becoming head coach, he has sustained the program's success.
In 2021, Yilmaz led the Rattlers to their first SWAC championship, a 25-7 record and the program’s first 20-win season since 2006. He was named SWAC Coach of the Year.
FAMU repeated as conference champion in 2022, sweeping the SWAC tournament and returning to the NCAA tournament. Yilmaz again earned SWAC Coach of the Year honors.
The Rattlers again won back-to-back SWAC Championships in 2024 and 2025.
Before taking over at FAMU, Yilmaz spent the 2014-15 season as head coach at UNC Charlotte, where he led the 49ers to 17 victories, their most in eight years, and their first conference tournament appearance in five years.
Before Charlotte, he spent seven seasons at Florida State, from 2008 through 2014, as associate head coach, training coordinator and the program’s primary recruiter.
At Florida State, he was part of a program that went 154-41 during his tenure and reached the NCAA tournament five consecutive times.
The Rattler volleyball team is back in action this afternoon against conference foe Jackson State at 1pm, where they will try to extend Gokhan's career victories to 151.