Emotional McCutcheon Leads USA Men's Volleyball to Gold Medal

Yes, the Redeem Team won their gold medal ... but is there any American team in Beijing that we wanted to see win more than our men's volleyball team?

Hours after the opening ceremony, Todd Bachman, father-in-law of men's volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon, was attacked and murderer as he was sightseeing in Beijing. Bachman's wife was seriously injured in the attack. McCutcheon took nearly a week off to tend to his grieving family.

He came back and led his team to a perfect record and a victory over Brazil for the gold medal.

McCutcheon hugged his assistants after the final point. Then he buried his head into his hands and quietly walked off the court. He did not return for a long while, and when he did, he embraced veteran Lloy Ball.

McCutcheon raised his hands in victory at the medal ceremony.

"I'm sure he was overwhelmed by everything, not only what happened on the volleyball court," U.S. libero Richard Lambourne said. "It's just something he poured his heart and soul into for the last four years."

"But certainly with the tragedy that befell his family at the beginning of these games, I'm so happy he was able to be here and experience this with us," he added. "Because he's a huge, if not the biggest, part of our team."

McCutcheon has said that he would pour himself into the team ... but once the Olympics were over, he'd tend to his family. His wife was a former Olympic volleyball player and her father was a coach so volleyball is an important part of their lives.

Our prayers continue to be with the Bachman/McCutcheon families as well as our congratulations for a difficult, yet fulfilling tournament.