If you have a younger sibling you might remember a time when all they wanted to do was to be just like you. What if that stage never really ended and your sibling played the same sport as you, went to the same college, got the same degree, got the same job, and moved at the same time that you did? What would you think then?

Most might be a little annoyed, but for University of Minnesota Duluth Head Volleyball coach Jim Boos it is a good experience. Jim’s brother David Boos, not only followed Jim to the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, but also followed him into coaching volleyball. Currently David is the Associate Head Coach for the University of Minnesota volleyball squad.

\"It’s certainly a huge positive [to have a brother coaching],\"said Jim. \"It’s just like having another coach that you are not in competition with to share information.\"

Not only are the two brothers volleyball coaches, they both helped guide their respective teams to the NCAA Final Four during the 2004 season. The Bulldogs made the trip to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight for the first time in school history with the help of third year head coach Jim Boos, while the Golden Gophers advance to the NCAA Division I Final Four after winning their regional title.

The Boos brother’s trip to the University of Minnesota volleyball ranks started back in Delafield, Wis. when their parents had them join their local league team.

\"Both boys are bright and observant,\" said Maureen Boos, Jim and David’s mother. \"When they started the league other members of other teams could beat them. By the time that we finished that league they were definitely the best.\"

That ability to learn the game and a persistence to play helped David during his high school years. The first two years David was an assistant coach and manager of the girl’s volleyball team at Delafield High School, while continually petitioning the school board to start a boy’s team. Finally in his junior season David decided that if they were not going to let him start a boy’s squad he was going to join the girl’s team.

\"Suddenly his petitions worked,\" said Maureen. \"And he got a guy’s team started.\"

Jim’s career really started during that same time period when he attended the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. While at Oshkosh Jim was an assistant with the women’s volleyball team and helped lead the Titans to four NCAA Division III national tournaments, finishing as high as third. During this time Jim established a men’s club team at Oshkosh in 1992. As a player/coach Jim led the team to a national club championship in 1996.

In 1995 David joined Jim at Oshkosh and also became a volunteer assistant coach for the Titans women’s volleyball team and a member of Jim’s club program. While both brothers were assisting with the Oshkosh volleyball team they helped produce the 1996 Division III national player of the year and three NCAA Division III All-Americans.

After the 1998 season both brothers left the Titans for their first official assistant coaching jobs as college graduates. Jim headed off to North Dakota State University, while David made his way to the University of Indiana. Both brothers helped led their teams to NCAA tournament appearances at both the Division I and II levels.

Four years later both brothers would make another move together and move up the ladder of the coaching ranks. This time instead of heading in different directions they would both find themselves working for the same university system as David accepted a job as an assistant coach for Division I Minnesota and Jim landed the head coaching job and UMD.

For the past three years both Jim and David have been helping to mold their respective programs into dominant forces in their leagues, regions, and the nation. This year both teams were able to emerge onto the national scene. Jim lead the Bulldogs to their first ever NCAA North Central Regional title and a trip to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. UMD ended their season with a loss in the semi-final round of the Elite Eight, just shy of the national championship match.

Minnesota did the same, as they were the only No. 1 seed in Division I to make it out of their regional rounds and advanced to the 2004 Division I National Championship match for the first time in school history.

A lot of siblings would think that the close relationship and similar jobs would cause rivalries between the two brothers, but according to Jim that is not the case.

\"I think that we did [have rivalries] when we were younger when egos were bigger,\" said Jim. \"Now we both want each other to do well and succeed.

The two are so close now that each one gets excited for the other when good things happen. In fact, David was able to introduce Jim at the American Volleyball Coaches Association banquet on Dec. 16 when Jim received his Division II National Coach of the Year award.

\"We love to see both teams do well,\" Jim said. \"He [David] couldn’t have been more excited about the national coach of the year thing. And the same goes for him, last year when they got to the Final Four I was just thrilled.\"

Now that the two have come so far and followed each other into the same sport and the same university system, what is next?

At UMD sibling coaches are not all that uncommon. From 1984 to 2001 a pair of siblings coached the women’s basketball team. Head women’s basketball coach Karen Stromme shared the coaching responsibilities with her younger brother Dave Stromme; before he too moved on to become an assistant coach for the Gophers.

Is there a possibility that Jim and David may some day work for the same program?

\"We have talked about coaching the same team,\" Jim said. \"He [David] is at the point where he wants to be a Division I head coach and that is not a career goal of mine. \"

Since the two are so similar it may cause some conflicts if they did work together though.

\"We are brother and we are similar in thought process,\" said Jim. \"There would have to be some boundaries and guidelines that we would have to sit down and talk about going in. But I think that we would be a good staff together.\"

With all the history that the two have created at their respective schools, it seems likely that if they did coach together it would be a good match up for whatever school was lucky enough to have them.