Mike Dodd was picked by the Clippers in 1979, but always knew his true calling.
Peter Blange of the Netherlands, the first player from his nation to be inducted to the Volleyball Hall of Fame, shows his ring during ceremonies Saturday in Holyoke.
HOLYOKE - Being drafted by an NBA team did not alter Mike Dodd's belief in his true calling.
"I went pretty deep through the Clippers' training camp (in 1979), then got cut. It was a disappointment, but also a relief,'' said Dodd, one of six new new inductees to the Volleyball Hall of Fame Saturday.
"I was optimistic to see how far I could go in my natural sport, the one I was born to play.''
That sport was volleyball. Dodd won a silver medal in beach volleyball with the United States in the 1996 Olympics, when he was 39.
The Class of 2012 raised the Hall of Fame's roster to 112 honored stars. The first induction took place in 1985 in Holyoke, where William Morgan invented the sport in 1895.
This year, Dodd is joined by American Jeff Stork, Soviet stars Georgy Mondzolevskiy and Lyudmila Buldakova, Brazilian Mauricio Lima and Dutch star Peter Blange.
The 6-foot-8 Blange, a 1980s superstar who helped usher in a new wave of taller players at the setter position, made the Netherlands the 21st nation represented in the Hall of Fame.
The 6-foot-5 Dodd was a ninth-round draft pick of the San Diego Clippers in 1979. He was the 176th player chosen.
That was the same year Magic Johnson was picked No. 1. In those years, the draft extended far beyond today's two-round format.
A local favorite from San Diego State, Dodd had come a long way since his freshman year, when he saw sparse playing time.
The sport was changing, though. Having also played high-level volleyball, Dodd knew another career awaited him.
"Basketball had become so physical,'' said Dodd, 55, who returned to San Diego State after the Clippers cut him.
He spent a fifth year in college, played volleyball and went on to become one of the most versatile and durable players in the history of the sport.
Proficient in both indoor volleyball and the beach version, Dodd was a standout player for more than 20 years. He also won more sportsmanship and inspiration awards than any other player of his era.
The other American inductee is Stork, 52, a 1980s star who was one of four setters chosen in this year's class.
"I think that speaks a lot for the respect (setting) has in the sport,'' said Stork, who now coaches the women's team at Cal State-Northridge.
Stork said the setter's role has evolved as modern serving techniques created new demands. There is more need for "out-of-system'' setting, he said.
Blange, 47, represented the new breed of setters. He, too, was proud to see the position get some recognition.
"It is the least scoring position in the sport, but volleyball is a team sport, not individual,'' he said.
"I am also very proud to represent my country here. The Netherlands is a small country, but we have had quite a bit of success in the sport.''
Lima, 43, was one of volleyball's dominant players in the last 25 years.
Mondzolevskiy, 78, and Buldakova, 74, represented a bygone but revered era of Soviet Union volleyball power in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Despite the fact that four nations and the corners of the globe were represented, all six members of the Class of 2012 were able to attend the induction.