There are personalities who don’t just represent a team, but embody an entire sport’s history. Tasos Koumplis was exactly that for Olympiacos and for Greek volleyball: a symbol, a selfless athlete and a long-time contributor.
From 1963, when he wore the red and white jersey for the first time, until 1984, when he completed his career on the court, there was not a single moment when he did not serve the Club with absolute dedication. For 21 years he was consistently the heart and soul of the team.
Koumplis is considered by many to be the foundation on which the history of the Olympiacos’ volleyball department was built. He is an iconic figure, one of the people who laid the groundwork for the Reds’ volleyball to become a protagonist of the sport in Greece.
Ever loyal, he never changed his Club jersey. Instead, he turned his back on other offers at a time when Olympiacos had to fight to break Panathinaikos’ dominance. He described a historic victory as a “break with the establishment” – and it wasn’t just words. With his passion, talent and leadership, he changed the dynamics of Greek volleyball.
His most iconic quote: ‘As a player I only fought for Olympiacos, it’s different as a player to fight for the idea, or dare I say, a faith…’
A daily… marathon
Born and raised in central Athens’ working class Kolonos district – a neighborhood where the rival Greens were popular – the young Koumplis did not take long to turn to Olympiacos. In his neighborhood he played football on the streets and lots with Ilias Yfantis, and these first experiences were to connect him forever with the port city of Piraeus.
He and his friends from Kolonos had a great love for volleyball and, above all, for Olympiacos. This love caused them to travel long distances every day to go to practice.
Three means of transport to get to the training center and three to get back home. They would start from Kolonos by tram, get off at Piraeus, continue by bus to the municipal theater and from there take the trolley bus to the Pasalimani marina – or, if there was no other means, walk.
His first steps with Olympiacos and a historic conquest of the first volleyball championship by the Club in 1968 are unforgettable. It was his first year with the team, with Pantelias as the captain. He was taken to Olympiacos by the late Giorgos Hourdakis, who was the team’s manager at the time. He always cites that the names of those people should be mentioned so that they can be honored as they deserve.
A point of reference for Olympiacos as an athlete and a coach. He played a decisive role in the development of Greek volleyball.
The beginning and the dynasty
Olympiacos won its first Greek men’s volleyball championship in 1968 in Thessaloniki with C. Hourdakis, coached by Kostas Abelas and the players Koumplis, Kyriakos Pantelias, Andreas Laurando, Theotokis Manousaridis, Nikos Kritsotalakis, Dimitris Kefalas, Yannis Stavropoulos, Kostas Karamitsos, Spyros Labakis, Kostas Trapezoudidis, Floros, Dolgobolov, Rebelos, Pasaris, Constantaras, Chistrakis, Agapitos, Kolokotronis. The following year (1969) Olympiacos won the second championship of its history. Koumplis was always there.
He mentioned that Giorgos Antonopoulos was the general manager, while Michalis Kouvaris, who was the treasurer at Olympiacos, had worked for his appointment to the Coast Guard.
San now recalls that “Hourdakis picked me up from the military camp without even having had time to do basic training,” adding that he had only had time to serve three days up until then. He was taken directly to Thessaloniki, along with the rest of the Olympiacos team, where they played in the open court of HANTh. There, they won the first championship in the Club’s history. “And the following year we won it again”, his proudly states.
In 1973, with Vassilis Sarafidis as the team manager, the Piraeus team began a dynasty after winning seven Greek Championships (1974, 1976, 1978, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983), led by Koumplis. At the same time, in 1981-82 Olympiacos became the first Greek team to reach the Final Four of the Champions Cup, coming in 4th in Paris against the then powerful Torino, CSKA Moscow and Dinamo Bucharest.
The national team
His contribution went beyond the boundaries of the Club. As captain of the men’s national team from 1968 to 1975, he was a key player at a time when Greece began to earn respect on the international stage. Koumplis not only stood out in terms of competition – he stood out for his discipline, team spirit and integrity. He won eight championships and two Cups and placed his mark on an entire era.
Koumplis was connected to Olympiacos like few others. His most iconic quote is a symbol for the team: “As a player I only fought for Olympiacos, it’s different as a player to fight for the idea, or dare I say, a faith…”
After the end of his great career as an athlete, he didn’t retire from active participation. On the contrary, he stayed with the sport, which he served with passion as a coach. He took charge of men’s, women’s and the younger academy teams, and did not hesitate to work with youngsters, passing on his experience and values. When he was called on to serve the national team again as a coach, he rose to the occasion once again, proving that his love for volleyball was not temporary, but timeless.
Tasos Koumplis was not just a great volleyball player, he was, is and will be a living legend
On the bench
As the coach of Olympiacos he added titles to the Club’s display cases, with the same modesty that characterized him as a player. His name was honored many times, not only for his successes, but mainly for his ethics, his humility and his contribution to the sport and its people.
On the day of March 25, 2000, Olympiacos loses the Cup final in Patras to Iraklis Thessaloniki and Evangelos Marinakis, who is now at the Club’s helm, changes the team’s fortunes overnight, «he asked me to replace (Zoran) Gajić. He asked me to win the championship.» This happened a month later!
Over the long course of the 100 years of Olympiacos, Koumplis is one of the few who can be characterized as a “symbol”. He never sought the glamour of publicity, but shone with his authenticity. He did not measure success by cups, but by values. His love for the team was not exhausted in words – it was a way of life.
And that is his legacy: loyalty, consistency and generocity. Tasos Koumplis was not just a great volleyball player, he was, is and will be a living legend. A true “soldier of the Legend”, who punctuated an entire era in Greek volleyball.
