Shigeo Yamada dedicated his life to volleyball. A former Japanese coach and team leader, he helped the national team continue its international success from the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan through the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea. 

Yamada was born Oct. 26, 1931 in Fujiedo City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. He later graduated from Tokyo University of Education, which has been called Tsukuba University since 1973. 

After graduating from university, he took a post as head coach of the volleyball club team at Mitaka High School in Tokyo. In 1964 he took over as head coach of the Hitachi Musashi women's volleyball club team, which went on to win the Japanese League First Division 18 times under his direction. 

He was then elevated to head coach of the Japanese Senior Women's National Volleyball Team, which won the silver medal at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico. In 1974, his team won the women's world championship in Guadalajara, Mexico. It went on to win the Olympic gold medal in 1976 in Montreal, Canada. 

In 1977, his Women's National Team won the second Women's World Cup, which was held in Japan. 

Yamada helped the team win bronze medals at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany and the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Calif. 

Yamada served as the chairman of the Women's National Teams Committee and as a Senior Executive Board member, before resigning in 1994. 

Yamada passed away on April 6, 2002, he was 66.