The true story of how a group of talented volleyball players learned to put their egos aside, become a team, and change the sport of volleyball forever. In the early 1980s, a golden generation of volleyball players joined the U.S. men's national team. With the Olympics coming to Los Angeles in 1984, the pressure was on to build a winning program around these exceptional athletes. But could a group of individuals put aside their egos and play as a true team to reach a common goal? If Gold Is Our Destiny: The 1984 U.S. Men's Volleyball Team and Its Quest for Olympic Glory shares the incredible story of this free-spirited group of mavericks and their stern, relentless coach. Alongside details of internal strife and heartwarming triumphs, Sean Murray includes fascinating insight from the team's three-week Outward Bound experience hiking over one hundred miles in the Canyonlands and Abajo Mountains in Utah. In order to survive, the players and coaches had to learn to cooperate and trust each other. Murray reveals how the team's visionary coaches used this newfound trust to implement an innovative approach to volleyball that changed not only their success on the court but the sport itself on a global scale. Featuring original interviews with players, coaches, and staff, along with a foreword by volleyball star Karch Kiraly, If Gold Is Our Destiny delivers an inside look at what it takes for a group of talented individuals to overcome their differences, build a culture of accountability, and become the best in the world.