He’s the Model Volleyball Player : Owen McKibbin Has Had Mixed Results as a Professional Beach Volleyball Player, but His Career as Model Has Been a Smashing Success

In three years as a pro beach volleyball player, Owen McKibbin and his partners have never beaten any of the tour’s top-ranked teams. His best showing this year was in San Antonio where he placed fifth with Shawn Davis, equaling the best finish in his career.

But away from the beach, McKibbin, who is rated 31st in the latest Assn. of Volleyball Professionals rankings, has been more successful against the AVP’s best players.

In 1988, the 6-foot-2 blond was selected over top-ranked Sinjin Smith and his longtime partner, Randy Stoklos, for a job in a Gillette razor commercial.

The commercial features McKibbin walking on the beach in a white T-shirt with a woman kissing his clean-shaven face. It was filmed in Venice Beach and McKibbin made $40,000 for about four hours of work.

“It’s kind of weird because sometimes I turn on the TV and there I am,” said McKibbin, who lives in Santa Monica and practices frequently at Marine Street in Manhattan Beach. “I’ve seen it on (the television shows) ‘Cheers,’ ‘Coach,’ ‘20/20,’ the NCAA basketball finals, the Super Bowl. . . .”

In April McKibbin received the biggest break of his modeling career. The 28-year-old was chosen to be in a C & R Clothing commercial to be filmed next month. McKibbin will be seen as a sweaty, sand-covered volleyball player who transforms into a clean-shaven gentleman in a suit.

McKibbin landed the job by entering a recent contest. He already had a contract with the Nina Blanchard talent agency, but was discouraged by his agent from pursuing a job with C & R.

“I thought that was strange because people on the street used to say, ‘Hey there’s a C & R guy,’ and I had never even gone to an interview for that,” McKibbin said. “So I asked Nina (Blanchard), ‘Why not send me?’ And they said, ‘You’re too big. You’re too thick, muscular-wise and they don’t like that.’ So I just entered the contest by mail.”

Over 7,500 men tried out for the audition that was held at the Universal Sheraton Hotel amid television cameras, photographers and reporters. Only five men were selected.

“Because of the C & R job I’ve been on talk shows and I’ve done fashion shows,” McKibbin said. “It’s so lucrative. I will make six figures just modeling this year. I never even thought it would get to where it’s gotten now. I still can’t believe it.”

McKibbin recently appeared in a Pepsi commercial in Santa Monica with Stoklos and Mark Eller, another pro beach volleyball player. He’s also scheduled to be in a Calvin Klein ad next month.

“He has very good face structure and good body and height,” said Jon Scott, the Nina Blanchard agent who discovered McKibbin. “It’s harder than people think to find that look. They have to have the perfect combination of good bone structure and good proportion.”

Scott says his agency signs one out of 500 models who try out. Smith, the winningest player in pro beach volleyball, also has a contract with Nina Blanchard, according to Scott.

“The trend now is towards athletes,” Scott said. “Health and fitness are the big things now and Owen has got that kind of look.”

Volleyball helped McKibbin get into modeling in 1988. Scott spotted him at a tournament in Manhattan Beach and asked McKibbin to come to the Los Angeles-based agency for a shoot.

“It’s amazing because he never asked for it. They pursued him,” said McKibbin’s sister, Claudia Brennen, who played volleyball at USC. “I’m envious, but I’m real proud of him. He’s escaped the nine-to-five job thing all together.”

McKibbin, who was a soccer and volleyball standout at Punahou High in Hawaii, never imagined he would end up becoming a model.

“I know I don’t look like the kind of guy who would wear a suit,” said McKibbin, the youngest of eight children. “But I can get decked out when I have to.”

McKibbin is still adjusting to all the attention. Fans often approach him at tournaments, but volleyball is seldom discussed. They want to know more about his other job.

“Sometimes I forget my own name. People say, ‘There’s the Gillette guy! There’s the C & R guy!’ But, you know, I haven’t changed,” he said. “I still enjoy simple pleasures. I like to water my plants and spend time at home with my pet pig.”

What has changed is McKibbin’s dedication to volleyball. He still trains up to three hours a day, but commercial auditions are beginning to take priority. It all adds up when comparing his six-figure modeling income to the $9,773 he has earned playing volleyball this year.

The auditions didn’t sit well with Lewis, who recently broke off a year-long partnership with McKibbin.

“He still works hard, but he has a lot of stuff going on now,” Lewis said. “He’s in high demand so it’s hard for him. He doesn’t have as much time as he used to.”

McKibbin and three other AVP players participated in an exhibition volleyball tournament in Japan in May. The promoters specifically requested him, Andrew Smith, Mike Dodd and Tim Hovland to compete against Japanese teams.

McKibbin was thrilled to be chosen. After all, he started playing beach volleyball for fun because he missed the game after competing collegiately at USC. He couldn’t continue playing indoors after college because of injuries to his ankles, knees and back.

But he is still a big fan of the indoor game. During the collegiate season McKibbin is the public-address announcer at USC home matches.