Michael Crane joined the Aquinas Athletic Department in the summer of 2019 and serves as the head coach of the AQ men's volleyball program. Crane serves as the second head coach in the history of the Aquinas men's volleyball program. In addition to running the men's volleyball program, Crane also works as the athletic department's Eligibility Coordinator. In this role, Crane assists the athletic teams to ensure that all of AQ's 600+ student-athletes are meeting eligibility requirements.
Over his five seasons at the helm of the program, Crane has accumulated a career record of 56-61 on the Saints sidelines. Crane's best season came in 2022 when the Saints made a run towards the end of the season to reach the NAIA National Tournament. AQ finished as the WHAC Tournament runner's up that season with a 21-9 record.
Individually, the Saints have seen five All-WHAC First Team Selections, two All-WHAC Second Team selections, and two WHAC All-Freshman Team selections over the last five years. 2022 saw Julian Armendano be named to the All-American Second Team after leading the entire NAIA in kills.
Off the court, Aquinas has had 18 student-athletes named to the WHAC All-Academic teams over the last five seasons, with a majority of those student-athletes also being named NAIA Scholar-Athletes.
Prior to AQ, Crane began the men's volleyball programs at both of his previous college coaching stops, doing so at NCAA Division I volleyball-playing institutions Alderson Broaddus University from 2011 to 2013 and University of Charleston from 2013 to 2016.
At both of the West Virginia schools, Crane handled all aspects of beginning and running a program, including recruiting potential students, scheduling, managing a budget, fundraising, scouting opponents, creating practice and travel plans, and other facets of coaching at the college level.
He also served as the varsity girls volleyball coach at Reeths-Puffer High School in Muskegon. Crane is a former NAIA athlete who played volleyball, as well as tennis and soccer, at Trinity International University and Trinity Christian College, where he also received his degree in elementary education. Coach Crane then went on to get a second degree in sports management from Davenport in 2023.
When he is not coaching on the sidelines, Crane enjoys playing playing beach volleyball, softball, and golf. He spends most of his time traveling for his youth sports with kids in soccer, football, gymnastics, basketball, baseball, and softball.
