Gabe Gardner – USA

Gabe Gardner – USA

Home: San Clemente, California

Position: Opposite
Height: 6-10 (209cm)
Weight: 227 lbs (103kg)
College: Stanford
Birth Date: 1976
Joined Team: September 1999
Web Site: www.gabegardner.com

PERSONAL: Born Gabriel Bryan Gardner in 1976 in San Diego, Calif.... Now calls Sacramento, Calif., home... Parents are Frank and Deborah Gardner... Has three brothers: Phinney, Zack and Nick... Phinney is a former member of the U.S. Water Polo national team and also played at UC Berkeley...

Gabe and his wife Julie, who is in medical school, were married in Athens, Greece, in 2004, following the Olympic Games... In 2007, they welcomed son Harper to the family... Gabe attended San Clemente (Calif.) High School and also was the goal keeper on the water polo team... Gabe was named the Orange County Athlete of the Year in 1995... Gabe graduated with a human biology degree from Stanford...

While they were at Stanford, Gabe and now-wife Julie used to double-date with Google founder Sergey Brin and his then-girlfriend, who also went to Stanford. Brin was in the process of starting Google and once asked Gabe about working for the Web search engine, but Gabe chose volleyball instead...

Enjoys surfing, beach volleyball and playing the guitar... Was an Overseas Pro League Champion twice (Argentina 2003 and Turkey 2005)... Gabe speaks fluent Spanish... Gabe retired from the U.S. Men's Team following the 2008 Olympics, but played the winter of 2008-09 for Ural Ufa in the Russian Super League.

MAJOR INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION: 2008 - Olympic Games (Gold Medal)... FIVB World League (Gold Medal)... Four Nations' Tournament (Gold Medal)... NORCECA Continental Olympic Qualifying Championship (Gold Medal). 2007 - FIVB World Cup... NORCECA Continental Championship (Gold Medal)... FIVB World League (Bronze Medal). 2006 - FIVB World Championships... FIVB World League... Argentina Tour. 2005 - FIVB World Championship Qualifying Tournament (Gold Medal).

2004 - NORCECA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (Gold Medal)... Japan Tour... Houston Series... USA Global Challenge (Gold Medal)... Serbia and Montenegro Tour (Silver Medal)... Olympic Games (Fourth Place).  2003 - Colorado/Nebraska Tour... Canada Tour... Pan American Games (Fourth Place)... World Cup (Fourth Place).  2002 - Dallas Tour... Six-Nation Tournament (Italy)... Louisville Tour.  1999 - Pan American Games.   1998 - France Trip... Portugal Trip.  1995 - World University Games.