Jozsef Forman enters his first year at Auburn, taking on the role as assistant coach under Wade Benson.
Forman, a native of Hungary, joins the Auburn staff after serving a three-year stint as the head coach at the University of New Orleans. He has also served as an assistant coach at Mississippi State and Baylor and was a club and national team coach in Hungary.
With the Privateers, Forman guided the team to two 20-win seasons (2008, 2009) and to three-straight Sun Belt Conference tournament appearances. In his final season with the Privateers, he led the team to a 20-13 overall mark and a 12-6 conference record. The team finished the regular season the first time the school history as co-SBC West Division champions and reached the semifinals of the conference tournament.
During the 2008 season, Forman directed UNO to a runner-up finish in the conference tournament and to a 22-10 overall record and a 13-6 SBC mark. The season equaled the team[apos]s best finish in since 2000 while the 13 conference wins and season-ending RPI ranking of No. 60 were a UNO volleyball record, 50 spots higher than the previous best Privateer finish.
Prior to his time at UNO, Forman spent time as an assistant coach at Mississippi State from 2004-06. While in Starkville, he helped the team to a school-record eight SEC wins in 2006. In 2007, the Bulldogs also recorded the best overall team grade-point average in school history, finishing with a 3.48 mark.
Forman spent the 2003 season at Baylor as the top assistant under Brian Hosfield. The Bears recorded a win over sixth-ranked Kansas State, which was the biggest win in the program[apos]s history at that time.
Prior to coaching at Baylor, the native of Hungary, Forman established himself as one of Europe[apos]s top volleyball coaches during a successful coaching run starting right after graduating from Semmelweis University in Hungary in 1989.
Forman began his coaching career as the head coach of the Vasas Sports Club. He guided that team to the 1990 Hungarian Cup title and the fifth-place finish in the European CEV Champions League. A year later, while serving on a staff with famed Chinese champion coach Sun De Lee, their team again captured the Hungarian Cup and posted another fifth-place finish in the European CEV Cup League.
In 1999, Forman established the NRK-Nyiregyhaza Club, that became middle Europe[apos]s top women[apos]s volleyball club. His teams went on the claim the Hungarian Championship three straight years (2000-02) and the Middle European Champion League(MEVZA) title (2000).
Overall, Forman directed his club teams to elite eight finishers in the European CEV Champions in 1990, 1994 and CEV Cup League in 1994 and 1999.
Forman spent three years as a head coach of the Hungarian junior national team before taking the head coach position of the Hungarian women[apos]s national team for four years. His junior national team finished 10th in the 1992 European Championship and went to place 5th in the World Championship held in Brazil in1993.
Four years later he guided the Hungarian women[apos]s national team in Japan, Canada, Italy, Czech, Croatia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Romania. In 1997, his team had wins over Canada, Germany and the United States en route to a first-place finish at the 1997 Canada Cup.
While at MSU, Forman returned to his native Hungary 2005 summer to serve as associate head coach of the Hungarian men[apos]s national team, which defeated Serbia-Montenegro, runners up in the 2005 World League Championships.
Forman also had the opportunity to coach the USA/Bring It Promotions u20 Development Team in 2008. He was selected as an assistant coach of Rob Patrick, head coach[apos]s staff, at the European Global Games in Pula, Croatia, and Italy.
As a player, Forman was a setter for the Hungarian Junior championship team from 1979-83 and was the collegiate national champion of Hungary from 1984-89 at Semmelweis University.
He is a 1989 graduate of the Hungarian University of Physical Education, where he also earned a master[apos]s degree in physical education and sports science. He also holds a FIVB International Coaching Certificate.
He is married to the former Agnes Hargitai of Budapest, Hungary and the have two sons - Peter(16) and Adam(13).