Originally from Irvine, Calif., Oden attended Stanford University, where she was a two time National Player of the Year (1984, 1985), a three-time All-American, and led the Cardinal to four straight NCAA Final Four appearances. She holds the school record for both career blocks (665) and blocks in a single game (16), and she was named the AVCA’s 1980s Player of the Decade. Oden went on to play for the U.S. National Team (1986-1992, 1994) and serve as the team captain. At the 1988 Olympics, Oden was named Best Hitter; in 1992, she led the U.S. team to the bronze medal.

One of the best volleyball players of all time, Kim Oden was inducted into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.